Waves of Change
by auntof3
Summary: Danny would do anything to make his daughter happy. But at what cost? As he had been forced to learn, happiness came with a price, and after the events of this morning, the team wasn't sure they could afford this particular cost, nor did they want to. Danny Whump. Bromance, Grace, family, and team friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So...here I go again. This is very much hurt/comfort/angst/bromance/family/friendship - and probably more adjectives that I haven't thought of yet. I hope you enjoy!**

 **There will be references to one of my other stories, "Living Grace" - but it is not necessary to have read it for this to make sense.**

 **Chapter 1**

Danny would never live this down – he just knew it. But in his defense, it _was_ something he abhorred for much of his first years on the island. However, like any devoted father, he would have done anything in his power to make Grace happy; and in doing just that, realized that he had found something that challenged his inner athlete, and that he was becoming damned good at.

Hearing Steve and Kono laughing behind him, he stealthily flipped them off with one hand while adjusting the awkward bulk with the other. Shaking his head against the raucous mirth, he plowed forward until the surf was up to his thighs.

"Okay, Monkey. Ready to shut those two up?" His eyes twinkled as he smiled down at his eleven-year-old daughter. Her pose mirrored his, only her surfboard was under her right arm, while Danny's was under his left.

"Danno, it's okay. You know they are your friends, right?" Grace was a little worried that her dad didn't get that Uncle Steve and Aunt Kono were just teasing him.

Danny bent to kiss the top of her head. "Oh I know they're just messing with me. But I'll show them, right? They don't know that I've been practicing just as much as you have."

Grace grinned, her dimples in full force. "And you're _good_ , Danno. Really good."

Danny just winked as the two headed into the ocean. At first, Steve and Kono had chuckled when they saw Danny and Grace walking across the sand carrying their surfboards. They honestly couldn't reconcile that visual with Danny's countless protestations that surfing was an evil entity meant to trap unsuspecting souls into a lifetime of coconut oil and surf wax and declining brain cells.

Steve sat back and just shook his head as he watched Danny and Grace drop into a few smaller waves, just to get their sea-legs working, so to speak. Grace was still a little cautious, but even Kono pointed out that she had really good form, and if she kept it up, would soon rival native Hawaiians in her skill level.

It was Danny that neither Steve nor Kono could make sense of. He looked completely relaxed out there on the water. Whether it was natural athleticism, many hours of practice, or a combination of both, they couldn't tell. Whatever the case, though; Danny looked absolutely at ease on his board.

After about fifteen minutes on the water, Danny and Grace made their way back onto the sand and cheerfully flopped down on the towels next to their friends. Grace was just happy to be spending the afternoon with her favorite people, and Danny was happy because he had managed to shock Steve and Kono speechless.

"Ho, brah! That was some serious wave shredding that you did. I'm impressed." Kono reached out and lightly thumped Danny on the shoulder. He just winked at her in response and turned towards Steve. He was waiting for the teasing to begin…he figured Steve had plenty stored up and was just waiting to bust his chops.

He was surprised though, when his eyes met Steve's and all he saw on Steve's face was grudging respect. Although Steve was trying not to grin, eventually he failed; tipping his water bottle Danny's direction and nodding his head. "You looked good out there, Danny. Really good. I'm impressed."

Danny smiled as Grace nearly jumped on his back. "You should see him practice, Uncle Steve! He's really, really awesome. Like super good! Did we surprise you?"

Steve reached out and poked at Grace's ribs, causing her to melt into squirmy shrieks. "You did, munchkin. You really did."

Grace smirked as she gave Danny a fist bump. "See, Danno? I told you they'd like our surprise."

Kono checked her phone before turning towards Grace. "Hey, Grace? Uncle Chin is on his way to join us…do you think you could show him how good you are when he gets here?"

Grace grinned and nodded. "And Danno too, right?"

Danny groaned at being shoved on display again, but knew that he would do anything where Grace's happiness was concerned. "Danno too, Monkey."

Shortly after Chin arrived, Danny and Grace were back at it again. He, like the other members of the team, could not get over Danny's apparent comfort on the board. Regardless of what put it there, though, they were all just happy to see him so relaxed and carefree.

While they were all really enjoying watching Danny and Grace, they noted that the waves were slowly becoming more crowded, as Hawaii's picture perfect weather was on full display, calling many tourists to her magical beauty. It worried them a bit – especially where Grace was concerned. They saw that Danny was handling the increased crowd out on the wave break with his usual cockiness and Jersey attitude, but Grace was starting to look a little uncomfortable out there.

Kono especially, given her past, was becoming indignant over the behavior of some of the so-called surfers out on the waves at the moment.

"Did you see that?" She shouted towards Steve and Chin as they all made their way towards the edge of the water. "That punk on the blue board, green stripe on his suit, totally cut Danny off. He was in command on that wave but had to bail. And shit, that hurts when you have your leash on. You get bounced around so bad under the wave!" She was annoyed, and immediately caught Grace's eye, motioning her back into shore.

Steve saw the surfer he was talking about, and saw that Danny was close by. Danny had masterfully carved the wave, and had just pulled back through the foam. He knew that for all of his protestations, Danny was pretty good at this. He was a natural athlete, who had completely fallen at ease with surfing.

Danny controlled his board through a number of waves as things got more congested. Some of them he had to pull out short to avoid a collision, and Steve knew that he was probably cursing under his breath. As he watched, though, he wasn't sure why, for some reason the hair was standing on the back of his neck.

One of the guys standing next to him on the beach started spouting off. "Amateurs. Look at them. The fucking least they could do in a spot like this is learn the etiquette. They're not only ignorant, they're dangerous! Shit, look at that! The guy with the orange board!" he said, pointing toward the water. "He almost killed that guy!"

Steve looked out, and saw he was pointing to another couple of surfers. They were angling on the large wave for position, and Steve could almost hear the curses of the surfer who dove out so he wouldn't get killed.

Hearing Kono's shout over all the noise, Steve quickly turned toward the sound, catching the tail-end of Grace's rough wipe-out. She was under for a lot longer than any of them would have liked to see, but finally popped up again, choking and sputtering. She was alone in the water, as Kono hadn't reached her through the multitude of wannabe boarders. Steve knew that he needed to try and reach her as well, and immediately dove into the water, telling Chin to stay where he was and try to get Danny in.

Just then, one of the hotshots that the people on the beach were complaining about appeared on the wave, and shot across; the force heading him right towards Danny, who had seen what happened to his daughter, and was also desperately trying to get to Grace. Chin shouted to try to get Danny's attention, but things were just too loud that far offshore.

Steve's yell had Chin hurrying to meet at the shoreline, quickly unleashing Grace's board while Steve carried her in. She was crying and coughing, obviously shaken up.

"Oh my fucking God! He's going to kill that poor guy!" Another bystander caught sight of what was going on, and yelled.

Danny was focused on trying to spot his daughter, and had no idea what was headed his way and that he was that 'poor guy'. Without warning, the hotshot's board clipped Danny's, cartwheeling Danny into the water and sending his board sailing into the air before being yanked down onto the top of his head by the leash attached to his ankle, much like a slingshot. On top of that, the wave was so big, the force tumbled him like he was in a washing machine, leaving him dazed and unable to tell which way was up; eventually smacking his head against the stones along the bottom of the ocean.

He was under, and because their attention was on making sure Grace was safe, none of the rest of his team noticed that Danny was in a world of trouble.

Danny's board partially surfaced, but by the angle of it, it was clear that he was tethered underwater by his board leash, caught up somehow and unable to move.

Confused, Danny's body knew enough to fight, and he struggled ineffectually against the buffering tide. He knew he should do _something_ , but the now-worsening concussion, combined with a lack of oxygen had him unable to figure out the simple task of reaching down and unhooking his leash from his ankle; thus releasing him from his confinement.

Back on the sand, Grace was shaking, coughing and crying, generally miserable and feeling like she wanted to throw up. Steve temporarily waved off the lifeguards, though, understanding that they needed to stabilize the chaos happening in the water. He had enough field medical training to feel comfortable having the lifeguards controlling the scene for a few more minutes.

She wiped at her eyes before looking plaintively towards Steve, shivering underneath the towel that Chin had wrapped around her. "Uncle Steve? Where's Danno? I want my dad."

A cold chill had both Steve and Kono turning back towards the water, frantically searching the waves for any sign of Danny. They hoped against hope that he was out there, simply fighting the bottleneck on the waves.

Chin pulled his phone from their things and quickly called for emergency services and being told that the lifeguards had them en route already. Even if Danny was merely invisible to their eyes, he would certainly want Grace taken in for an evaluation.

It was Kono who spotted Danny's board bobbing about thirty yards from where she was. She whistled to get Steve's attention before diving in; ducking her head and swimming as fast as she could toward him; still avoiding the rogue body boarders who got in her way.

She had always been a strong swimmer, and fairly quick, but she couldn't swim fast enough in her mind. She dove through the waves that crashed over her, keeping locked on Danny's board out of the corner of her eye. Knowing she was close enough, she took a deep breath and dove under.

She opened her eyes against the sting, and saw him floating, eyes closed. Oh God. His tether on his leg was wrapped one extra time around his shin, and was wedged just right in between two fairly large rocks. She swam quickly to him and saw the blood flowing from the large wound on his head. She knew she had to release the tether, and quickly found his ankle. She loosened the Velcro and unwrapped the leash from his leg before she started dragging Danny toward the surface.

They popped up to the surface like corks, and Kono could see that his face was nearly gray from a lack of oxygen. Seeing that Steve was gaining on them, she gently turned his face toward her.

"Danny!" she screamed into his ear, hoping he would come around. "Danny!" He still wasn't breathing.

She knew she couldn't do efficient CPR yet, floundering out in the water, but she started rescue breathing to try to do _something_ to help. He was bleeding profusely from the wound on his head, but she didn't care. She breathed four times into his mouth, then hooked her arm under his arm and around his chest and swam as fast as she could toward the beach. The waves broke over them, tumbling them both, but Kono held on. She breathed into his mouth as often as she could manage, all the while begging him to wake up.

Steve caught up to them and quickly took Danny's weight into a rescue hold. He did his best to protect Danny's neck, pausing once for Kono to give another series of breaths. They were getting closer to the beach, and when the water was low enough that she could touch the bottom with her feet, she regained her footing and took more of Danny's weight back from Steve.

She could see that Chin had moved Grace away from where they were working on Danny, and had lifted her into his arms. Her face was buried into Chin's neck, but Kono could tell by the distraught look on Chin's face that they hadn't been able to fully shield her from what was happening.

Shaking that worry aside for the time being, she focused on the job at hand. Just a few more steps, she thought, as she and Steve, along with the first lifeguard on scene, finally got him to a spot on the beach where she knew CPR could be performed, if necessary. They carefully lowered him onto the sand, and Kono felt for the breath against her cheek while Steve checked the pulse on his throat, dismayed when neither of them felt anything.

Steve immediately put his hands into the proper position and started CPR, not willing or able to wait for additional rescue services that he knew were en route. He started the first of his thirty compressions, grimacing at the feel of a couple of Danny's ribs breaking under the weight of his hands. It would be a small price to pay, though, if they could get Danny back.

As he neared thirty, he calmly told Kono "staying", keeping up the tempo of his compressions. She nodded as she leaned down to give the first of two rescue breaths, understanding that Steve was not tired enough to switch positions with her.

As she finished the second breath, Steve rechecked his hand position and started the cycle again. This continued for three full sessions with no change in Danny's condition. They would not stop, though – they _couldn't_ give up on Danny. Round four found Steve on compression number thirteen before Danny suddenly shuddered, coughed out water, gagged, and drew in a shallow, ragged breath. But he hadn't opened his eyes.

"Thank God," Kono breathed, and her eyes filled with tears. Steve's did as well, but he forced his emotions down for the time being. Danny's breathing was still shallow and irregular, and he knew that there was probably more water in his lungs, and that he needed oxygen and a hospital, fast.

The lifeguard pulled his eyelid up and saw that his pupils weren't dilating normally and knew that at the very least Danny was marginally concussed. They didn't really want to risk rolling him to help drain the water until they were sure they could protect his neck and back, especially because there was no way of knowing what kind of injury Danny might have sustained under the water, although he _had_ moved his extremities while coughing.

Just then, two more lifeguards and one team of paramedics rushed over. While Steve was quickly telling them what had happened and giving his credentials as well, Kono saw over his shoulder that another team was with Chin and Grace. Kono tossed him a towel to dry off while he talked, keeping one wrapped around her waist as well.

"There was a likely period of oxygen deprivation for a few minutes before Kono got out to him. She started rescue breathing on the way in, but we couldn't begin full CPR till we got to the beach. We were into our fourth round of compressions when he started breathing. It has been very shallow, and I suspect he's still dealing with some water in his lungs. He was submerged for up to 5 minutes, although I'm not sure when he went under. We're not sure if the head wound is from his board hitting him, or him hitting the bottom." He watched relieved as they fit the oxygen mask to him, and confirmed Steve's guess of fluid still in the lungs, along with what they guessed was a moderate head injury - he had already bled through the hastily applied gauze pad. Right now, though, that was the least of their worries.

They strapped him onto the back board and secured the bolsters alongside his head, carefully rolling his body to the side. They all kept hands on Danny and the board to provide a more secure hold, and tilted him a bit at a downward angle with his head lower. Steve was relieved to see a little more water drain as he tried to cough weakly. He was alarmed, however, at the small amount of foam that seemed to accompany the water. Kono reached down and held the oxygen mask out so the water could fall away. The paramedic listened and relayed that his lungs sounded a bit clearer, although they weren't anywhere near fully cleared.

"Let's load him up and get him over to the hospital. Has he regained consciousness at all?" the paramedic asked Steve.

Steve shook his head, and gestured to the second paramedic team. "Do you know where they are heading? That's his daughter, and we need to see about her heading to the same place."

The paramedics started moving him away, telling him that they were all headed to Queens. Kono quickly threw their towels and things back into the large tote bags they had brought and dug through the bag until she found Danny's keys. "Chin's going with Grace. I'll bring Danny's car to the hospital, and we can arrange to get your truck later."

Steve nodded, knowing that everything of value or danger was locked up tight. "We'll see you there." With that, he climbed into the back of the ambulance as one paramedic shut the door, and the other hopped into the driver's seat.

Steve watched as they worked to further stabilize Danny's condition. Steve could tell by the numbers on the monitor that Danny's system was overtaxed by everything that had happened. His blood pressure was sky-high, as was his respiratory rate.

He blew out a breath as he watched the more senior EMT, Michael, increase the flow of oxygen to maximum. "Does Detective Williams have any allergies or other health concerns?"

Steve shook his head as Michael grabbed his stethoscope and listened to Danny's lungs.

"Good. I'm not thrilled with his breathing. I don't want to have to intubate unless we really have to, but his oxygen sats need to come up, and his respiratory rate needs to come down. Otherwise, I'm afraid he'll crap out and then we won't have a choice." Michael fiddled with the mask attached to Danny's face and wrote down another set of vital signs.

"I hope they can clear his c-spine quickly once he hits the ER. The sooner they can do that, the sooner they can get him on a CPAP set-up. It'll provide better support and make it easier for him to breathe, but he'll need to be in a more upright position. He's doing a bit of a balancing act right now, and I'd really rather he knocked that shit off and steadied those vital signs.

Steve could see Danny starting to surface into consciousness, and understanding Danny's dislike of tight spaces, tried to calm his best friend down. "Danny? You're in an ambulance, on the way to Queens. Grace is okay, too. Just relax, buddy." Steve reached for Danny's shoulder, squeezing it as Danny started to moan. "Danny? It's Steve. Can you open your eyes?" After a few long moments, his eyes finally fluttered open.

"Oww. Grace?" That was about all Danny could manage around the drum section keeping cadence in his head.

Steve was relieved, but could tell that Danny was getting upset because of the head injury and being strapped down with a mask over his face. "She's okay, Danny…you're in an ambulance. You got hurt surfing."

Danny's eyes were glassy below the pounding of his head, but he let loose with the first thing that popped into his mind. "Wipe out," he murmured before closing his eyes once again.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This chapter brings back Dr. Kuwada, who was first introduced in "Living Grace". I liked her, so I decided to keep her. Thank you for all of the reviews and follows. I've ran the medical treatments past a former ER physician and gotten her okay (she's the real life Dr. Kuwada, except for the name) that I haven't written anything grossly negligent, and while every single thing may not be perfect, it is a fictional story and not a chapter in a medical book, LOL. I hope you can read it for what it is – fiction – and if not, I completely respect your right to walk away and not review.

 **Chapter 2**

 _ **H50H50H50**_

Grace didn't want to admit it in front of Uncle Chin, but she was scared. She loved the ocean, but didn't like how she felt after her crash. She was just trying to avoid the man who apparently didn't see her on the wave. She had fallen off of her board lots of times practicing, but this time was different. She'd never fallen so hard and felt like she was trapped underwater before.

She knew that something bad had happened to Danno – she had seen Uncle Steve pushing on his chest a lot of times before Uncle Chin had turned her around so she couldn't see any more. She didn't know much about what that meant, but remembered seeing doctors doing that on TV once before a person died. That thought alone, brought tears to her eyes, and she couldn't stop them as they rolled down her cheeks.

"Hey, keiki, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Chin shifted so that he was sitting a little more in front of her stretcher and took her hand.

Grace looked at him, heartbroken. "Is Danno dead, Uncle Chin?" She was cold in her damp clothes, and almost inconsolable at the thought of something happening to her dad. A large shiver rolled through her body, and she was unable to stop it.

Chin's brow furrowed in confusion. Steve had just texted him that Danny had woken up in the ambulance and that they were only minutes ahead of Grace. "No, Grace. What makes you think that?"

Grace shook her head. "I saw Uncle Steve when he…he had to push on Danno's chest. That means he's dead, right?" Grace was outright crying by now; her breath starting to come in hitching gasps, making her cough periodically.

The paramedic took a quick listen to her lungs and checked her oxygen saturations, which had been quite good up until now, and broke out a pediatric oxygen mask, slipping it over her head before wrapping another blanket more securely around her.

"Aww, sweetheart, no. I promise Danno's not dead. Uncle Steve just texted me. Your dad started to wake up a few minutes ago. He's sick, though…but he's on his way to the hospital, just like you. Danny was under the water for a little bit too long, and when Steve and Kono got him out of the ocean, his body kind of forgot how to work. So yeah, Steve had to do CPR, but only for a little bit. Did you see him on the beach?"

Grace nodded, her expression forlorn. "I wanted Danno, and I was looking around for him when you picked me up." Her voice was muffled behind the mask, but Chin quickly picked up on where things had gone wrong.

Chin reached over and wiped her tears away. "It's okay, Grace. I know that was hard to see…but I promise you, he's not dead. Here…see?"

He held out his cell phone for Grace to read Steve's message, which said, " _D waking up. Groggy & a bit confused. Asked about Grace."_

Grace took in a shuddering breath. "Can you text him and have him tell Danno I'm okay, and that I love him?"

Chin's eyes crinkled warmly as he smiled and nodded. "Of course I can. No sense in either one of you worrying, right?"

Grace shut her eyes and rested her head back against the flat pillow. She was really tired, but couldn't stop coughing. At eleven years old, many girls would say that they wanted their mom when they didn't feel well, but since Grace had been living with only her dad for the past year, it was Danno's arms that she wanted wrapped around her, and Danno's warmth soaking into her. She loved her mom, and knew that her mom loved her, but with her and Step-Stan living in Las Vegas with Charlie, she didn't really spend too much time with them any longer.

Her eyes flew open and she looked at Chin in alarm, unable to stop what was about to happen. "Uncle Chin?" Her stomach suddenly rebelled against the events on the beach.

Fortunately, the paramedic was prepared and placed an emesis basin underneath her chin.

"You're okay, keiki." Chin's voice was soothing as he helped her lean over the basin. He rubbed her back until she was finished vomiting, and then held out a washcloth so that she could wipe her face and eyes.

Grace was mortified that Chin had seen her throw up, but she couldn't help it. Her stomach felt yucky after swallowing part of the ocean. Her eyes watered as she leaned back against the pillow and coughed. She felt like she needed to cough a lot more now than she had before, but coughing too much made her feel sick.

She really just wanted her dad.

 _H50H50H50_

Danny's ambulance roared to a stop, and the back doors were flung open. Danny hardly even flinched at the chaos happening around him.

Steve knew that he would be chased away at some point, but until that happened, he was staying with Danny. They quickly pulled his stretcher from the back of the ambulance and rushed him into the largest of the trauma rooms at Queens.

He heard numbers and information being shouted around him, but he kept his eyes on his partner. His face had taken on even more of a pale tint – and Steve could see by the numbers on the portable monitor between Danny's feet that he was in quite a bit more distress than before.

As the team hurried to get Danny situated on the trauma room's gurney, Steve lost sight of just what they were doing to his partner. He saw Danny's trunks tossed to the side and knew that they were getting him into a gown. He also rightfully guessed that they were starting him on another IV, and placing a catheter into his bladder. He could tell that the nursing staff was not happy with the way Danny was presenting to them, and were ramping up their focus in response.

The brief amount of treatment Danny had been given in the ambulance was enough to start to stabilize him, but the bad part of that was that Danny's anxiety was through the roof, and he was now starting to thrash, as best he could with the neck brace still on him. Steve rushed to his side, mindful of the staff surrounding him. He reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze, hoping his brother would start to sense that he was safe now.

"Danny? It's Steve. You're in the hospital, but they need you to relax. Just try to calm down as much as you can. You're in the ER, and Grace is safe, buddy. Okay?" Danny seemed to settle hearing Steve's voice, although he wasn't making much sense of things yet.

The diminutive doctor treating Danny heard some of what Steve was saying and as she recognized the two men in her ER, her face lit up in a huge smile. "Steve? I thought that was Danny, and knowing you aren't far behind doesn't surprise me one bit." Dr. Kuwada reached out and squeezed Steve's hand, unable to move far enough just yet to give him a hug.

"So what kind of trouble did Danny get himself into this time?" Abby had heard the report, but she tended to pick up better tidbits of what happened from someone who witnessed things firsthand.

Steve blew out a breath. "He was surfing, of all things. He and Grace. Oh…she's on her way in another ambulance – hopefully nothing serious, but we wanted her to get checked out. Anyway, the waves got really crowded, and Grace got upended pretty hard. Kono and Chin and I fished her out, not realizing that Danny had gotten plowed into by a tourist cutting into his wave. He tumbled fairly hard, and we think he either got slammed into by his board, or hit his head on some rocks along the ocean floor, or possibly both. He was submerged for maybe 3-5 minutes and wasn't breathing when Kono got to him."

Steve sat down in a chair next to the gurney. "I should have seen him. I should have gotten to him sooner."

Abby, satisfied that Danny was relatively stable for the next few seconds while the nursing staff was drawing bloodwork for initial lab values, stepped over and wrapped an arm around Steve's shoulders. "Now Steve, you know better than that. Danny's first priority would have been Grace. You did what he would have wanted, taking care of his daughter. You can't be everywhere, Superman."

Steve's eyes were glassy as he shook his head. "I broke his ribs, Doc. I had to fucking do CPR on my best friend, and I felt them break under my hands. If I had gotten to him sooner, he wouldn't be in the trouble he's in, and I wouldn't still be feeling that crunch over and over right now."

Dr. Kuwada knew that Steve was understandably upset, not thinking quite like himself. There wasn't much that would change his mind other than Danny recovering, so she gave him one more quick squeeze. "And if you had gotten to him sooner at the expense of helping Grace, how would he have felt? There's no right or wrong course of action, here. We'll just deal with things as they present themselves, and move on from there. Okay?"

After a few moments of staring at his partner's still form, Steve finally nodded. "Just…take care of him? And Grace? Please?"

Abby nodded and stepped back. "As soon as Danny stops making me nervous, I'll go and find out how Grace is. You can count on that, okay? Now, let's see how your partner is doing, shall we?" She moved back to Danny's side and looked at the monitors. Based on his vital signs, she was not very happy with Danny right now, and looking at him in person did not make her feel any better.

Danny was laboring to breathe, and his heart rate was very elevated, trying to compensate for his inability to fully oxygenate his lungs. She took a quick listen to his lungs, and was concerned at how much more 'wet' they sounded even from when he first presented to the ER.

"Let's get a set of films – neck and chest – and see if we can't clear the C-Spine precautions. I want him on a CPAP setup as soon as he's more awake, if possible. Otherwise he's going to tire out, which won't be good for any of us." Abby's team moved quickly, motioning all non-essential people out of the trauma room to shoot the x-ray. The second they were finished, people converged at Danny's bedside again.

"Get me the next open CT scanner as well." Abby had checked Danny's pupils and was concerned with how sluggishly they were responding. Steve had said he thought he hit his head – she wanted to rule out a serious concussion, as soon as she could.

"Danny? Can you open your eyes for me?" Dr. Kuwada knuckled his sternum hard, and kept at him, though, until finally, his bleary gaze was locked onto hers.

"Hey there, sunshine. It's good to see you again. Do you remember me?" She smiled as he at least attempted to track her movements.

Rather than answer her, his eyes started to close again. "Oh no you don't. Stay awake, Danny. Open those eyes." This time, she pinched at the skin on the inside of his arm, raising his eyelids yet again.

"There you go. That's it. I need you to stay with me for a few minutes, okay?"

He blinked slowly in response, but kept his eyes on her. _He was so confused. He felt like shit, and was beyond tired. He couldn't make sense of why the doctor kept bugging him._

Abby could tell that his energy level was flagging, but needed to assess his cognitive function. "I don't want you to try to talk too much…just short answers or blink once for yes, and two times for no. Can you do that?"

Danny blinked one time, whispering "yeah" and locking his eyes onto hers once more. "Good. Do you know where you are?"

"Hospital".

"Do you remember what happened to you?"

He stared for a few seconds before giving a quiet, "Not sure".

"It's okay, Danny. Just a couple of more questions and we'll let you rest." She motioned for Steve to step into Danny's line of sight.

"Do you know who this is?"

"Animal." Danny blinked once and reached out for his hand. Steve gave him a reassuring squeeze in return.

"Great, Danny. Last question for now…are you having any pain anywhere?"

"Yeah." Danny blinked once, and one solitary tear leaked slowly down, disappearing into the bolsters taped in place on either side of his head.

Abby smiled sympathetically. "We'll get you taken care of soon. You just take it easy and concentrate on breathing. We'll take care of the rest."

Danny's eyes fluttered shut as one of the nursing staff swapped out the now-cooled blanket for a warmer one. He was tired of trying to make sense of things that were happening too quickly. He knew that Steve was close by, which meant on some unspoken level that he didn't have to worry about anything for a while. He let himself rest, knowing that his best friend would stand watch.

 _H50H50H50_

Grace's ambulance pulled up to the entrance not too long after Danny's had, and while there were quite a few people meeting them, it wasn't quite as chaotic as when Danny arrived. Grace was clinically more stable, although she wasn't totally out of the woods just yet.

Chin kept hold of her hand as they headed for the pediatric trauma room. He was hoping to touch base with Steve, but knew that all depended on how Danny was holding up.

The paramedics got her transferred over to the gurney without any difficulty, and within minutes, the ER staff had her in a gown and pants and hooked up to the monitors.

"Hi Grace. I'm Dr. Murray. I'm going to take care of you while you're here." Dr. Colin Murray looked younger than he was, which made him the ideal candidate for the pediatric emergency room. Kids naturally seemed drawn to him, often times because he had a knack for making his patients feel at ease in the scariest of situations.

Grace tried to smile, but she just didn't feel that great. She was worried about her dad, but wasn't sure if anyone would be able to tell her anything.

Dr. Murray turned to Chin and offered his hand to shake. "You're more than welcome to stay with her – we find that kids do better if they have someone familiar to them close by. If we need you out of the way, we'll let you know."

Chin nodded. "I'm Detective Chin Ho Kelly. I work with Grace's dad on the Five-0 task force, and am part of her ohana. We've also got paperwork on file that authorizes any member of the Five-0 team to make decisions if her dad or Commander McGarrett aren't with her." He squeezed Grace's hand, reminding her that she was not alone.

Dr. Murray had gotten the basics in that Grace's dad had been brought in as well, and nodded, understanding Chin's hint as to why they might be with her and not her parent. "We'll see about making sure Grace is stable, and then I'll go see if I can't dig up any information." He left his statement vague, but Chin was able to read between the lines, nodding gratefully.

He turned back and visually took stock of how Grace appeared. Her heart rate was higher than normal. 75 beats per minute would be average for an eleven-year-old patient, but Grace's heart rate was just over 90. She was pale behind her oxygen mask and shivering, and he was concerned that she was a little shocky.

"Grace? We're going to get you feeling better, but I need your help. Is it okay if I ask you a few questions?"

She nodded, keeping a firm grip on Chin's thumb.

"Awesome. And if you have any questions you want answered, I want you to ask, okay?"

She was trembling, and he wanted to see if she would open up a little. Kids usually couldn't mask the way they were feeling, if one knew what questions to ask.

"Hey Kim? Can we grab another warm blanket for Grace?" Within seconds, Grace was cocooned in a couple of warm fluffy blankets and was now the proud owner of a stuffed dolphin that the staff kept on hand for pediatric patients, courtesy of one of the volunteers.

"Okay, Miss Grace. Can you tell me if anything hurts or feels weird?" Dr. Murray had seated himself on the edge of the gurney, completely taking away any semblance of a stuffy doctor. He related to his patients more like an older brother, but soon showed why people couldn't mistake his casual attitude for a lack of skill. He was one of the best pediatric trauma physicians on the island, bar none.

"I keep coughing, but it doesn't feel like it's helping. It's making my throat sore."

Dr. Murray nodded. It made sense, given her clinical history. "Have you ever had to have a breathing treatment, Grace?"

She shook her head…it didn't sound familiar to her.

"Have you ever heard of asthma before?"

Grace nodded. "My friend Mika has an inhaler sometimes."

He smiled at her. "Well, a breathing treatment is another way to get that same medicine into your lungs. I think you're coughing because you still have some salt water in your lungs. Not enough to be super serious, but enough to kind of make you feel crappy. I'm going to get an x-ray of your lungs, just to make sure they look okay. But the breathing treatment should slow down some of that coughing."

Dr. Murray stopped to write a couple of things down on his clipboard before looking back up at Grace. "Now, how does your stomach feel?"

Grace paled at that question. She was trying not to think about it, but she was starting to feel like she was going to throw up again. She shook her head as tears poked to the surface of her eyes.

Dr. Murray looked sympathetic, understanding the anxiety that could follow. "Did you throw up earlier?"

Grace nodded again. "In the ambulance."

Dr. Murray wrinkled his nose and motioned to the nurse who was charting her initial vital signs. "Kim? Can we get a 4mg Zofran ODT?"

Chin placed his warm hand on top of Grace's head, using his thumb to lightly stroke her forehead. "Just breathe, keiki. You'll be okay."

Dr. Murray squeezed Grace's shin. "We're going to take care of that yucky stomach in just a minute. Now, I kind of have a job for you, if you're up to it." He looked at her, gauging her reaction, and was pleased when she nodded.

"Good. Now it doesn't sound like much, but I'm going to let you hang on to this tube for me. I know it sounds gross, but if you cough any gunk up, I want you to put the end of the tube up to your mouth and vacuum that gunk away. You don't have to hold it the whole time, but keep it where you can reach it." He handed her a plastic suction tube with the wrapper covering the open end.

Grace looked mildly disgusted, causing both Dr. Murray and Chin to chuckle. "I told you it was gross. But, Grace…the important thing you can do for me…your job, if you will, is to let us know if there's anything pink in what you cough up. I don't think there will be, but just in case, I need you to tell someone if that happens, okay?"

Grace nodded and set the suction device next to her leg. Kim came back in with a small tablet in a tiny paper cup. "Grace? This is medicine that will help your stomach settle down. Most kids say that it tastes like cherry, so hopefully it won't be too bad. You don't have to do anything but put it on your tongue and let it dissolve. It should work pretty quickly, and after we make sure you're feeling better, we'll see about getting you some juice, too. Do you have a favorite kind?"

Grace shrugged one shoulder. "Pineapple is my favorite. Danno doesn't like it, though." Her eyes filled again at the mention of her dad – she was really scared something horrible had happened to him, and nobody had told her anything.

Kim smiled sadly, understanding how scared Grace was for her dad. "Mine, too. Pineapple it is." She handed Grace the tablet and watched as she set it on her tongue. After a brief scrunching of her face, Grace tolerated the artificial cherry flavor as much as she could.

There was a knock on the door, and everyone turned to see who it was. Grace thought she recognized Dr. Kuwada but wasn't sure. Abby just grinned when she stepped into the room.

"Grace, it's so good to see you again!" Abby didn't think twice before rushing over and wrapping Grace up into a one-armed hug. After stepping back, she gave her the once over. "I'm not happy you came to see me like this, but I'm glad you look so good."

Chin and Dr. Murray just grinned as Dr. Kuwada did her thing. "And how do you know my patient, Dr. Abby?"

She turned and winked at Dr. Murray. "Miss Grace here showed all of us her fighting spirit last year when she had a bit of a rough go of things. I've also treated her dad in the past, and you'll never guess who I'm treating right now?"

Grace's eyebrows lifted. "Danno?"

Dr. Kuwada nodded and smiled. "Got it in one. He always seems to show up when I'm covering the adult ER. Your dad is pretty silly like that, isn't he? There is another doctor in there with him right now, and I've also got Uncle Steve in there with him, making sure your dad is doing okay and that he behaves himself."

Grace's eyes filled. "Is he? Doing okay, I mean."

Abby reached for Grace's hand. "He's doing okay. I want him to be doing better, though, so he might be hanging with us for a little while. We're doing a couple of tests to make sure his head is okay from where he bumped it, and then we're going to put him on a special kind of mask to help make it easier for him to breathe. He's got some water in his lungs…"

Grace's eyes widened. "Like me?"

Dr. Kuwada glanced at Dr. Murray before nodding. "I think he's got quite a bit more than you do, but yes…like you. He's also got some bumps and bruises that we're taking care of."

Grace wiped at the tears that were now rolling underneath the oxygen mask. "I want to see him. Can I? Please?"

Abby looked at her kindly. "I'm going to be honest, Grace. Your dad's pretty sick right now. But…and this all depends on the two of you and how you both are feeling…I will try to get you in to see him, but it might only be for a minute or two." Abby knew the bond that the two of them had – she had seen it up close and personal and knew it would be good medicine for both of them. But she wouldn't risk Grace seeing her dad potentially requiring advanced life support should his condition worsen.

Chin leaned in towards Grace. "Hey, kiddo? Kono is out in the waiting room. Do you want me to go and get her?"

Grace nodded, trying to keep herself from out and out crying. She didn't feel that great, and she was terrified that her dad might be worse than what anyone was telling her.

Dr. Murray could tell on the monitor that Grace was getting upset. Her heart rate and respiratory rate were both climbing, and he suspected that anxiety was playing a part.

Dr. Kuwada knew that if Grace couldn't see her dad, then the next best person for her right now would be Steve. As Chin came back in with Kono, she caught their attention. "Could I get one or both of you to go and switch with Steve? He's in Trauma 2 with Danny, but I think he's equally needed in here right now."

Kono and Chin saw Grace's expression and nodded, hurrying back out the door. They would stay with Danny while Steve did what he could for Grace.

 _H50H50H50_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Again, thank you for all of the reviews and follows - I really appreciate them. This chapter has a bit more medical in it - if you have to, remind yourself this is fiction, LOL. I do research but I'm not perfect. This chapter is also a little longer, but there was no other place that a break felt right, so you get more in this update.**

 **Chapter 3**

 **H50H50**

Danny had gotten through the films and the CT scan, and was now resting thanks to a mild dose of pain medication. His breathing wasn't any easier – Dr. Kuwada had ordered an arterial blood gas and had put him on a non-rebreathing oxygen mask while they waited for the results, but he was much more coherent and awake. She was waiting for someone from Ortho to clear his neck films, but the second that happened, she had a CPAP machine on standby for him.

She had stepped out to check on Grace, but another ER attending physician helping cover, as well as her nurses knew how to reach her quickly if anything changed with Danny.

Steve noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and stood up as Chin and Kono came into the room. Kono stepped forward to hug him. "Hey, brah. Doc asked us if you'd switch with us. Grace is in Peds Trauma 4, having a bit of trouble with not being able to see Danny just yet."

Steve blew out a breath and nodded. "Nurses are in and out, and the other doctor is just outside at the desk…just try to keep him calm if he wakes up. They're not thrilled with his breathing, and are hopefully working out a plan that doesn't involve a ventilator."

Kono sat in the chair that Steve had vacated and picked up Danny's hand. "We'll yell if we need you back here, okay? Right now, I think Grace needs you a little more."

Steve jogged out of Danny's room in search of Grace. Thankfully the hallways were well mapped, and Steve quickly found the room he was looking for. Abby and another doctor were hovering around Grace, trying to get her to calm down but not having much luck.

"Hey, Gracie – what's all this, huh?" Steve sat down on the other side of Grace and opened his arms, holding her close as she reached for him. He was mindful of her IV and oxygen mask and managed not to tangle anything up.

He could feel her trembling, and looked towards the doctors with eyebrows raised. They both shook their heads in answer to his unspoken question regarding any bad news with her health, so Steve turned his attention towards his niece.

"You're okay, Grace. It's going to be okay." He rocked her gently, hoping the motion would soothe her somewhat.

"I just want to see Danno, Uncle Steve." Grace was almost sobbing by this point, which wasn't helping her breathing any. He could feel her breath starting to hitch and knew she was close to her tipping point.

Grace was strong – nobody would ever doubt that. But going through her own somewhat traumatic event getting dumped roughly into the ocean, feeling generally miserable because of her dunking, and mistakenly believing her dad had died – any one of those three would bring most kids to their knees. To have Grace have to deal with all three at once was just too much for her, and it all came pouring out.

"He's…sick and…they won't let me…see…him yet and…what if…he gets too…sick to…get better and…dies Uncle Steve? I won't get…to see him. He…won't…know that…I love…him." She could barely get the words out, she was sobbing so hard.

"Hey, hey, hey…Grace, stop. No matter what, Danno knows you love him. That's automatic, sweetheart. You know that. Just like you know that Danno loves you, right? Try to slow your breathing down for me. Can you do that?" Steve held her just a bit tighter, hoping that his strength would seep through.

Her only answer was to start crying harder which kicked off the coughing in earnest, starting the alarms blaring in full. Steve felt movement behind him, and after a few seconds felt a cool mist against his skin.

Dr. Murray worked to get Grace's attention. "Grace? I'm going to put this different mask on and give you a breathing treatment. It's just mist that you breathe in like normal, okay? I want to see if we can't get that coughing settled down a little bit."

Dr. Kuwada motioned to get Steve's attention while he kept up his light rocking. "I'm going to go and check on Danny…see if his blood gas results are up yet. I want to get him on a CPAP set-up, which will help his breathing, but I'm not sure how well he'll tolerate the mask. It's a bit confining from the patient's point of view, and knowing Danny's history…"

Steve nodded, completely feeling torn in half right now. Abby squeezed his arm. "I'll see how well he does with Chin and Kono keeping him settled, but we'll play it by ear if we need to swap people out."

As she headed back to Danny's room, Steve shifted a little more comfortably onto the gurney. He was not about to loosen his hold on Grace…at least not for the time being. He only hoped that Kono and Chin could keep things calm with Danny.

 **H50 H50**

Dr. Kuwada hurried into the trauma room, having just got word that Danny's CT and x-ray results were in. One quick scan of the computer showed that his neck x-ray was clear, and the CT scan showed only a mild concussion. She felt completely confident in not only his skeletal status, but his cognitive condition as well. Reading his blood gas results reaffirmed that if they didn't get his respiratory status turned around soon, however, they would be traveling down a path that they didn't really want to go.

"All right, people. Scans are clear so let's get that brace off and I want the head of his bed in high Fowler's – no lower than 80 degrees."

Chin and Kono stepped back so that the staff could get Danny a bit more settled, but were ready to intervene if need be.

While they were situating Danny's bed into the right position, the respiratory staff stepped in to get Danny set up on the mask. In order for CPAP to work, the mask had to be strapped tightly over the mouth and nose. CPAP was a good way to improve oxygen levels and decrease the amount of work the body had to do in order to breathe and survive, but it did have its concerns as well.

The problem with CPAP was how claustrophobic patients tended to feel – even patients who weren't claustrophobic to begin with. So given Danny's history, this setup had potential to not work, simply because Danny couldn't keep himself calm enough and tolerate it long enough for it to do its job.

Danny would most likely need some coaching to get over the anxiety caused by this mask, but Dr. Kuwada wanted to try. Having inhaled that much salt water would essentially wash some of the surfactant bathing the inside of the lungs; trapping fluid into the small spaces in the lungs. Keeping that positive pressure breathing through the CPAP machine would reduce some of the work that Danny had to do to breathe, eventually reversing some of those concerns.

Developing ARDS was still a valid worry. Danny was far from being out of the woods. But the more time they could buy him to allow his lungs to recover, the better off he would be, not having to be placed on a ventilator.

Dr. Kuwada stepped over to where Chin and Kono stood. "We're going to hope that Danny tolerates that mask. It has to have a tight seal on it in order to work, and I have a feeling we're going to have our hands full trying to keep Danny from pulling at it. I don't want to sedate him with the amount of respiratory distress he's showing, but his anxiety level may become unmanageable. We'll just have to play it by ear, which I absolutely hate doing where my patients are concerned."

She blew out a breath and shook her head. "I want to try to see how he tolerates this before I let Grace in to see him. She's scared out of her mind, and I can't blame her, after the day she's had."

Chin frowned, hating the idea of Grace being so worried. "Do you think she'll be admitted? Or is she doing okay?"

Abby shrugged her shoulder. "I'm not sure – standard course is to observe her for a good six hours or so. But if she develops any worrisome symptoms, she will make that decision for us. Honestly? Given the way everything is going with her dad being here, Dr. Murray may just push to admit her for tonight and release her tomorrow – give Danny a chance to show us how he's going to do. I'm guessing that one of the three of you would be the ones staying with her if she were to be admitted, as well as when she's released?"

Kono nodded her head. "Yeah. Ideally it would be Steve, but if he's here with Danny it would fall to Chin or me. Grace's mom is full time in Las Vegas, so getting her here might not be the easiest thing for any of them, especially if she's not critical. Not that Grace doesn't need her mom, but Danny's been pretty much the sole caregiver for the past year – Grace has gotten used to not having her mom around as much. She really relies on Danny for everything."

Dr. Kuwada nodded. "And having Danny so sick is just making things that much harder on her."

They noticed Danny starting to become a bit more agitated as he became fully aware of just how tight the mask was, and all three moved towards him. Chin took one side of the gurney, while Kono half-sat on the other edge, each taking one of his wandering hands in theirs. "Danny, you're okay. The mask is tight, to help you breathe…I know it's hard, but you really need to try to leave it alone."

Danny's eyes widened in alarm at the feeling of something strapped over his mouth and nose. Before he could figure out what was going on, Kono had his hand and was talking to him. He could only make out part of what she was saying through the sound of blood roaring in his ears – his heart rate was steadily climbing to alarm levels, and he felt like he was about to come out of his skin. He shook his head and flexed his arms, frustrated when they wouldn't move like he wanted them to.

Kono shifted the hand that she was holding to Chin and gently held Danny's face. "Danny, I need you to listen. Just look at me for a second."

She waited until he had most of his attention on her before talking to him again. "I get it, Danny. The mask sucks. But right now, it's helping you breathe. I know it doesn't feel like it, but you have to try, okay? One breath at a time, right? You can totally do this."

His eyes darted around the room, trying to lock onto anything that would help ramp his anxiety back down to a more manageable level.

Chin used his head to motion towards the door, not wanting to completely let go of Danny's hands just yet. "What about Grace? I know he's miserable right now, but he might try to settle knowing she was coming to see him."

Dr. Kuwada nodded. "I'll call over to Peds trauma and talk with Dr. Murray. No promises, though. But I'll try."

Chin nodded and adjusted his grip, as Danny seemed to try harder to pull his hands away and reach for the mask. Kono just kept up her commentary, hoping that something would break through. "You're doing great, Danny. One at a time, brah. One breath at a time. There's plenty of oxygen, so don't worry about that."

Dr. Kuwada gave a thumb up as she hung up the phone. "Okay. I'm going to step outside and meet them. Dr. Murray's admitting her overnight – she still needs the oxygen and he's just not comfortable sending her home just yet. Steve is going to bring her here on her way to the Peds floor."

Chin and Kono were both relieved, as Danny's anxiety wasn't getting any better with the mask on. "Hear that, Danny? Grace is on her way. Can you try to calm your breathing a little before she gets here?"

Danny's eyes were wet with tears after that part of Kono's litany broke through. _Grace was on her way._ He couldn't explain that part of his anxiety was not knowing what exactly had happened to her. His memories were all over the place, and he vaguely remembered surfing, and he thought he remembered seeing that something bad was going to happen to her – but his thoughts were all jumbled together and he was having a hard time making sense of things.

Little did he know that it was also his body's lack of sufficient oxygen that was keeping him from thinking clearly. Hopefully his time using the CPAP would resolve some of that.

He closed his eyes, concentrating on trying to at least get his breathing into some sort of steady pattern, but it wasn't easy. The CPAP felt like too much pressure forcing air into his lungs, and at the forced inhale, his body's natural response was to try to fight it.

Kono was trying to help, squeezing his arm every time she took a breath. She hoped he could at least try to match her rhythm, even if it wasn't perfect. Maybe it would be slow enough to keep the fight or flight response at bay.

Danny wasn't sure just how much time had passed before Kono was trying to get his attention. When he opened his eyes, Steve was just coming through the door carrying Grace, with Dr. Murray carrying a portable oxygen tank behind them. She still had the pediatric oxygen mask on – he had to blink a few times to attempt to make sense of the fact that the mask had a penguin design on the front of it, and it wasn't his mind freaking the hell out on him.

Tears immediately came to his eyes as he saw how upset Grace was and he forced himself to try and stay calm. Steve brought her over to Chin's side and sat against the edge, with Chin having let go of Danny's hands to move behind Steve.

"Danno?" Grace wasn't sure what all of the equipment was, but it looked like it was hurting her dad.

Danny made an 'okay' sign with his hand, trying to signal to Grace that he was doing as okay as he could be.

Dr. Kuwada and Dr. Murray both stood around Danny's gurney and tried to explain some of what Danny had attached to him. "It's okay, Grace. The machine that your dad has on is a special kind of machine. When you get kind of a lot of water in your lungs, sometimes it's hard to take a super deep breath. The machine just helps your dad take that deep breath. It doesn't hurt him at all, but sometimes it's hard to get used to the mask because it's kind of tight."

She looked at Dr. Murray with complete seriousness, not knowing all of the details but understanding that her dad sometimes didn't like tight things. "Maybe Danno could use my fish mask instead?"

Steve chuckled and looked to Danny and the cousins to explain. "She had a breathing treatment, and the mask that they used looked like a fish face."

Dr. Kuwada grinned as even Danny tried to smile. "Aww, sweetheart. That's really nice of you, but your mask doesn't fit on this machine."

Danny reached for Grace's hand and squeezed, wanting her to understand how much her kindness had touched him. There was no doubt about it – his daughter was one special little girl.

Steve had been watching the monitor above Danny's head and could see that he was starting to get agitated once again.

Grace, who had been watching her dad, could see that as well. "Uncle Steve? Danno doesn't look like he should."

Steve hugged Grace tight. "Yeah. I think the mask is bothering him."

Grace took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, sliding off of Steve's lap to sit on the mattress next to her dad. "Would it help him if you stayed with him?"

Steve looked first at Danny, who was shaking his head, and then at Grace. Grace leaned over and took Danny's hand into her smaller one. "Danno, it's okay. When I'm scared, if I can't have you, Uncle Steve is good at making me feel safe. Uncle Chin and Auntie Kono, too. So I can be brave and let Uncle Steve stay here with you, and maybe Auntie Kono and Uncle Chin can go with me to my room?"

A tear slipped down Danny's cheek. He detested the idea that his baby girl had to 'be brave' just because he couldn't calm the fuck down by himself. He had never felt more like an ass in his life. What kind of dad forced his young daughter to abandon her own fears in order to help him take care of his?

Danny shook his head one more time, hoping that Steve would back him up. What he found, though, was Steve looking at Grace with such pride that it almost physically hurt.

Dr. Murray stepped closer to Danny, speaking to him father to father. "Danny? I'm Dr. Murray. We haven't officially met yet. I'm the ER doctor that is taking of Grace. She's doing really well, all things considered with her crazy afternoon. I'm going to admit her just for the night. I want her to be on the oxygen for a few more hours, and then make sure she can stay off of it with no problems. By the time she would come off of it, it would too late to send her home, anyway. And this way, you know she's close by."

He gave a fist-bump to Grace, who was smiling at hearing how well she was doing, before turning back to Danny. "One thing that helps my son not worry about me so much is knowing that I'm taking care of myself. Just like I think Grace will be happier knowing that Steve is keeping an eye on you. It's obvious she trusts him, and it's obvious she wants the best for you. So I want you to try and relax, knowing that Grace will be taken care of. One of your teammates can even stay in her room overnight, so you don't have to worry about that."

Danny knew that sometime later, he might appreciate the doctor's words. However right now, he was sick and miserable and unable to fully comprehend what was being said.

Grace tugged the mask from her face and leaned over, placing a kiss on his forehead before sitting back up. "I promise I'll be okay, Danno. I just need you to be okay too."

Her bravery faltered for a moment and her face crumpled, completely terrified that her dad just might not be okay after all. Steve was quick to gather her up in a hug before she completely melted down. He shifted her and helped her rest her head gently on Danny's chest for a moment – keeping her out of the way of his broken ribs – and allowing both of them to soak up that feeling of complete love and adoration that one brought out in the other.

Throughout the short time that they stayed like that, Danny kept one hand on top of her head, holding her close to his chest; and the other hand rubbing her back.

Dr. Kuwada had been watching the monitors, and could see that Danny just wasn't tolerating the mask at all. He was trying – she knew that. But his numbers didn't lie. She suspected that he was developing ARDS. His breathing was getting more and more labored as he probably felt like he was drowning and unable to get any air whatsoever, and physically _couldn't_ take a deep enough breath because of the broken rib pain. She heard an occasional audible grunting sound as he exhaled, which was his body's way of trying to compensate for its lack of oxygen. His heart rate was slowly increasing as well, and Dr. Kuwada knew that Danny would soon be too exhausted to keep up with everything, and his entire system would be compromised.

Steve had picked up on Dr. Kuwada's concern, and could see that Danny was in trouble. He was sweating more now, and his nail beds and lips were turning cyanotic from the lack of oxygen.

Dr. Murray was speaking with Chin and Kono, working out a plan to get Grace up to her room as soon as possible. He could see that Danny was tiring out, and he knew that the most probable next course would be to intubate him in hopes of stabilizing him while they worked to fix his worsening lung issues.

Steve met Chin's eyes across the trauma room and nodded, understanding what needed to happen. He turned back to where Grace was still cuddled up to Danny. "Hey, Grace. We need to get you up to your room now, okay? Do you want me to go with you, or do you want me to stay with your dad?"

He wanted to leave it up to her, knowing that she needed to find a way to have some control over her situation.

Grace sat up and wiped at her eyes. She could feel her dad's breathing against her ear and could tell that he was breathing too fast, not to mention the rumbling sound coming from his lungs. She might only be eleven, but she was not naive. She knew that he was getting worse. She had to try not to be scared and let Uncle Steve stay with her dad, knowing that he would watch out for Danno for her. "Stay with him, Uncle Steve. He needs you."

Steve blinked back tears at her valiant attempt at being strong and nodded his head. He waited while she kissed Danny's forehead one last time before carefully picking her up. Chin was right there to take her from Steve, and he and Kono quickly followed Dr. Murray out of the trauma room.

"Steve, I need you to step out into the hallway. I promise I will come and talk to you once we have Danny stabilized, but for right now, you can't be in here."

Steve looked wrecked, but nodded, sparing one last glance at his best friend before turning and walking out the door. He made it about ten feet from the room before sinking down to the floor the minute his back hit the wall.

Dr. Kuwada was all business as she turned to her rapidly declining patient. "All right people, we need to move quickly. Find Anthony – we need a vent in here, stat! Jamie, if you could start bagging him, we'll get him an oxygen boost before we intubate."

Everyone moved swiftly, understanding that time was not on their side right now. Danny was spiraling downward quickly, his lungs simply not able to recover from his near drowning without a tremendous amount of assistance.

They quickly got the head of the gurney flat, leaving the pillow underneath his head. Dr. Kuwada preferred that over a patient that was lying completely flat – it made the whole intubation process less difficult for both the doctor and the patient. Jamie had moved to the side, which made it easier for her to maintain a seal with the mask over Danny's nose and mouth.

Danny weakly tried to fight, but simply had nothing left.

Abby stepped into his line of sight. "Danny, you're going to be okay. I know breathing is getting harder, and we're going to go ahead and put you on a ventilator and do the work for you until your body heals a little. Just relax, and let us take care of you, okay?"

He tried to nod, but before he could even react to what was happening, his eyes rolled back and his world went dark as his body exhausted itself and he slipped into unconsciousness. His heart rate flagged for a few seconds, and Dr. Kuwada prepared herself to start compressions. Fortunately, with the oxygen being forced through his lungs, his heart rate rebounded to a slightly more normal rate.

The respiratory therapist had come into the room, and was dialing up initial settings on the ventilator. He would be able to adjust them once he had another blood gas result, but their top priority was getting a breathing tube in and maintaining Danny's airway, as he soon would tire completely and no longer be able to manage it on his own.

"Thiopental is in. I need cricoid pressure, Kai." Dr. Kuwada had moved to the head of the bed, and was preparing to intubate Danny, having administered the first round of paralytic medications.

"Shit. Can I get some suction?" Dr. Kuwada waited a moment while Jamie suctioned a fair amount of pink-tinged liquid from the back of Danny's throat.

Once she could see, she waited while Jamie injected the last of the medications that would completely sedate and relax Danny. "Keep an eye on his blood pressure for me and heart rate, would you, Kai? Succs may knock it all to hell, so let's be ready."

Everyone sort of held their breaths while the tube was carefully threaded through Danny's vocal cords. Jamie took a quick listen to his lungs and nodded that the tube was in the right position. It was only then that Anthony inflated the cuff and Kai released the pressure on the cricoid cartilage. Releasing it too soon could have caused stomach acid to inadvertently flow into the lungs, causing even more problems for Danny.

It only took a few minutes for an x-ray to confirm that the tube was at the right level, and Anthony quickly taped it into place before removing the ambu-bag from the tube and hooking Danny up to the ventilator.

Dr. Kuwada made a few notes in Danny's chart before turning back to her patient. She was not liking much about the way he currently looked – he was febrile, hovering at 102 degrees according to the last temperature check. "Hey Anthony?" She loved working with the jovial respiratory therapist. He was cool under pressure, and often times anticipated his patient's needs before things got too bad, which made him an asset in the busy ER.

"Yeah, Doc?" He had just finished running another blood gas and was titrating the ventilator settings.

" Couple of things – can you place an arterial line? I don't want to have to keep sticking him. And then, we need a sputum sample…his fever is climbing, and I want to see if the infection is related to his lungs at all."

Anthony nodded and moved to gather his supplies. Placing an arterial line was tricky but it was so much better for the patient, not having to be stuck so often.

It was only about ten more minutes before everything was as stable as they could make it for Danny. His blood had been sent off to the lab for a complete panel, and a sample had been taken from his lungs and rushed for testing. He had also had another full chest x-ray to check for infiltrates in his lungs, verify the tube placement, and make sure the broken ribs were stable. Initial pictures had shown two broken ribs, but Dr. Kuwada suspected a third, and wanted a closer look. He would now head to the ICU, where they hopefully could get a handle on his deteriorating system sooner rather than later.

She closed her eyes and placed her hand against Danny's chest, sending every good thought and prayer into the universe as she could manage. He was a good man who adored his daughter, and who made a difference to Hawaii with the job that he held. She hoped she had done enough to return him back to those who loved him.

 **H50 H50**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you all again for the reviews and follows - I really appreciate them. Now let's see what is going on with Danny, shall we?**

 **Chapter 4**

Abby didn't have to go far to find Steve – he was sitting on the floor in a small alcove with his elbows on his knees and his head resting on his arms. She bent and pressed her hand against his shoulder, waiting for him to look up. She felt him take a deep breath before pushing himself to stand, wiping at his eyes.

"He's hanging in there, Steve."

Steve shook his head. "How did this get so fucked…sorry… _messed_ up so quickly?"

Dr. Kuwada smiled sadly. "This is the part of medicine I hate. I don't have the perfect answer for you. Danny has developed ARDS…"

Steve wiped at his eyes, understanding how bad this could be. "Shit…."

Abby nodded her head. "Shit is right. He just had too many factors stacked against him. The CPAP would have helped –but he couldn't tolerate the mask and couldn't breathe deep enough with the broken ribs. We couldn't give him a lot of pain medication for the broken ribs, because we couldn't risk getting him too relaxed and suppressing his breathing. But the right amount of pain medication would have done wonders for his ability to take a deep breath. It was just a craptastic circle from the start."

Steve was taking it all in, and kept trying to sneak a glance into the trauma room. Abby squeezed his arm. "He's stable right now. He's on the ventilator, and will remain on it until he can manage his breathing better. I'd guess a day or two, at least. He's sedated very heavily for a couple of reasons. First of all, we don't want him waking up at all while he's on the vent. It's very difficult for patients who realize they're on a ventilator – it produces a lot of anxiety, which Danny already trends towards. Secondly, we don't want him fighting the vent or trying to breathe on his own just yet. ARDS treatment is tricky – we need to run him at about 35 somewhat shallow breaths per minute, but make sure he has some pressure at the end of his breaths as well. Too deep of a breath essentially will blow his lungs…obviously we don't want to do anything to compromise his lungs, which potentially could be a very real problem with ARDS. Any additional damage to his lungs could cause long-term issues down the road. We'll keep monitoring his oxygen levels and work on getting him off of the ventilator as soon as we can."

She knew that it was a lot to take in, and she didn't want to overload Steve but needed him to know what was going on, especially if they were to need to make any medical decisions. Danny and Steve had become each other's medical proxy last year, and she hoped that Steve wouldn't have to go down that road, but the truth was that Danny was still very unstable. "We need to get rid of that fluid in his lungs, but it's not as simple as just suctioning it out. It's more complicated than that, but I'll see if I can't make it make sense. Inhaling that salt water caused the lungs to swell. The swelling can break down blood vessels and alveoli, causing fluid to build up in the lungs. In regards to healing, in fancy terms, the alveolar cells will eventually shift and create an osmotic gradient that draws fluid out of the alveoli where it is absorbed back into the lymph system. His body will then remove the protein from the alveoli and his lungs should recover. He's currently running a fever, so we're doing some testing to see whether he's dealing with pneumonia on top of everything else or does he have another infection somewhere."

Steve closed his eyes, trying to regain his composure. "Bottom line it for me, Doc. Will Danny recover from this?"

Abby pulled him into a hug before stepping back. "I really believe he will, Steve. But this has potential to be rough for a while. We'll let him completely rest tonight and possibly into tomorrow, but we'll be performing spontaneous breathing trials sometime tomorrow to see how quickly Danny can breathe on his own. The less time he stays on the ventilator, the better it will be for him."

She saw out of the corner of her eye that they were getting Danny ready to transfer to the ICU. Anthony was switching him to the portable ventilator, while Jamie and Kai were making sure his lines were all secure. "I was asked by a colleague to cover a few shifts in the ICU – her dad just passed away, and she'll be gone for a week. It was easier to find another ER doctor than an ICU doc, so the good news is that I'll be primary for Danny while he's there."

Steve looked a little confused. "I thought you only did Pediatrics?"

Abby shook her head. "I'm actually board certified in Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, and Critical Care Medicine. Officially, I'm an Intensivist. I was never good at deciding what I wanted to do, so I worked to get licensed in more than one area…I know, overachiever much? It's helped me here at Queens, as it makes me more versatile. Truth be told, I have more fun in Pediatrics, but am completely comfortable in the adult setting as well. Although, if the two of you keep this up, I may have to add personal private physician to the alphabet soup at the end of my name. You two really need to learn to just come and visit me instead of taking up space in my building."

Steve chuckled and tried to smile, but Abby saw right through it. "Listen, Steve. You're right to be worried. But I'm not about to let Danny get the best of me. I really feel like this will have a favorable result, and while I'm not happy he took the turn that he did, I'm glad it happened here in the ER and not at home. He may not have known he was deteriorating and possibly would have tried to brush off his symptoms. Oxygen deprivation can make a person confused very quickly. If there's anything positive to take from this, it's that he was in the right place at the right time."

Steve nodded. "I know. It's just…what do I tell Grace? She's smart, you know? I think that she picked upon the fact that her dad was getting sicker. I just don't want to scare her, either."

Abby smiled sympathetically. She wondered if Steve had any idea just how much his love for Grace showed on his face. "I might be able to help with that. I have a couple of props that I've collected over the years in Peds – one of them is a book that gives a pretty kid friendly demonstration of a patient on a ventilator. I can also hopefully answer any questions she might have – she's a very bright little girl. She's bound to have questions. Now…are you going to stay with her, or stay with Danny? I already know there's no point in asking you to stick to visiting hours – and I get why, Steve. I really do. But most likely, Grace will be discharged tomorrow. I'm going to put my foot down and say that I don't want her to see Danny while he's so sick…unless we don't have a choice."

Steve physically took a step back and paled at the very real implication that Danny _could_ die from this.

Dr. Kuwada placed her hand on his arm. "I'm not foreseeing that will happen, Steve, but I really don't think that Grace needs to see Danny like that. And I know Danny would rip me like none other if he knew I let her in there."

Steve blew out a frustrated breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll see if Grace is okay staying with Kono – maybe Chin will hang with them as well. I think I'd feel more comfortable here with Danny in case…" Steve shrugged a shoulder, not even willing to put that thought out into the universe.

Abby nodded, understanding Steve's feeling of being torn. "Why don't you give us about thirty minutes to get him settled – I'll come find you the minute you can be with him. Maybe go up and check on Grace – I will grab what I need and come and get you from her room. The good news is that they both are on the same floor, so you can go back and forth if you need to. We can talk to her together before bringing you back to Danny's room in the ICU."

Steve noticed the gurney being wheeled out of the trauma room and literally took a step back at the sight of his brother. He was pale, although his cheeks were flushed from the fever. His jaw was slack, with the breathing tube taped to the right corner of his mouth. He had multiple lines running into both arms, and another one into his neck, and a nasogastric tube threaded into his left nostril. Just looking at him, though – had Dr. Kuwada not reassured him that he was somewhat stable, Steve would have sworn that Danny would not get through this. He looked sicker than Steve had ever seen someone look – it was alarming, to say the least. It was also something that Steve wanted to avoid ever seeing again, if at all possible.

H50 H50

Steve had walked as far as he could with Danny before being stopped at the mechanical doors of the ICU. Dr. Kuwada had shown him where to find Grace, and reluctantly, he made the trip down the hall towards the north tower and to her room.

As Steve entered, he could see that Grace had been crying, and was currently resting, wrapped up with her head against Kono's chest, with Kono gently finger-combing the saltwater knots out of her hair. His heart skipped a beat, hoping that she hadn't had a setback of any kind.

"Hey, guys." Chin looked up from where he was seated in a chair next to the bed. He could see on Steve's face that things weren't going that well for Danny, but wisely, he held his questions for now.

"Uncle Steve!" Grace perked up slightly while Steve situated himself on the other side of the bed.

Grace immediately reached for Steve, needing him to help her get to his lap. She currently had her left hand secured to a board, unable to move it very much. Her other wrist currently had a stretchy pressure bandage wrapped around it, but it was a little more mobile.

"Hey, sweetheart." Steve just wrapped her up close, needing to know that at least one of the Williams' was doing okay.

"She's had a bit of a busy time since she got in here. They had to restart her IV in a new vein, and Dr. Murray ordered an ABG, just to make sure her oxygen levels were improving. She passed that blood gas test with flying colors, not that we expected any different." Kono tried to stay upbeat, knowing that Steve was hanging on by a thread and Grace was, at the minimum, distracted for now – but that could change at any moment.

"How are you feeling now, Grace?" Steve wanted to hear it from Grace…it would help ease his mind a bit knowing she was doing okay. It would ease the guilt over leaving her with Kono and Chin. Steve knew he needed to find a way to lock his feelings down, but he was struggling a bit with that.

"I'm okay. It kind of hurt when they did that blood thing, but it's over now, and Ms. Stacy said that I probably wouldn't need another one. I don't like these little things in my nose, though. They're kind of itchy."

Steve hadn't realized until she said anything that she was off of the oxygen mask and now on a nasal cannula. That was good progress, but it also was a testament to how scattered his thinking was that he didn't even notice.

He kissed the side of her head. "Hopefully you won't have to wear it much longer. And then with any luck, tomorrow you get to go home."

Grace looked pensive and bit at her bottom lip. "Uncle Steve? Is Danno going to be okay? Will he get to take me home tomorrow?"

Steve took a deep breath, not wanting to start this conversation just yet. Grace, however, was leaving him very little choice in the matter. "Gracie…I promised you that I wouldn't ever lie to you. So I'm going to tell you the truth. Danno's really sick right now. Dr. Kuwada is going to come and talk to you about what's wrong with him, but he's in a part of the hospital where they take very good care of people who need some extra help getting better."

Just then, Dr. Kuwada knocked on the door frame before stepping into the room. "Hi guys…is there room for one more in here?"

She put a bag down on the end of the bed before sitting next to Grace. "Grace, it's so good to see you looking better. I'll bet you are off of the oxygen tonight and then get to go home tomorrow. Now, I promised your Uncle Steve that I would come in and talk to you about what is going on with your dad. He said that you were a very smart young lady, so I am going to tell you what I think you might want to know, and then if you have any questions, you can ask me. Is that okay?"

Grace nodded, her eyes bright. She had promised Danno that she would be brave. _She could do this._

"Okay. So right now, your dad is on a special kind of machine that is breathing for him. It's called a ventilator. He has a tube in his throat that lets the air go into his lungs. It looks like this one, and on this page, you can see how it's attached to the ventilator."

She pulled an adult ET tube from her bag and held it and the children's book out to Grace. "Now, what happened is that we first gave your dad some medicine that made him go to sleep. That way, he wouldn't feel anything that we were doing. Once we were sure the tube was in the right spot, we blew up that little balloon on the end to help keep it in place."

Grace was examining the tube with a frown on her face. As she felt the rigid plastic, her next thought brought tears to her eyes – the culmination of a long and emotional day.

Dr. Kuwada noticed her silent tears first. "Grace? What's wrong?"

Steve shifted her so that he could see her more closely. "What is it, Grace? What's going on?"

Grace burst into sobs, scared for her dad. "Uncle Steve, I don't want it to hurt him…it feels sharp!"

Steve immediately tightened his arms around his niece and pressed his lips against the side of her head, trying his best to quell her sobs as she trembled in his grip. She was physically and emotionally spent after the events of the past few hours. "Ssshhh, Gracie. It's okay, sweetheart."

Both Kono and Chin felt their hearts skip as they listened to Grace break down. Enough was enough – Grace shouldn't have to go through this. None of them should, but especially Grace at only eleven years old.

Dr. Kuwada cringed, as her intent was not to terrify Grace further. "Oh, kiddo. I promise you, Grace. He doesn't even feel the tube." She waited a few moments for Grace to try to calm her breathing. She had started coughing again from being so upset, but was able to settle on her own.

Grace turned to the older doctor, keeping her ear against Steve's chest; not entirely sure she believed her. It certainly _looked_ like it would hurt Danno. "This doesn't hurt him?"

Dr. Kuwada shook her head. "No. As long as he needs that tube to help him, we keep him super asleep. His body needs to rest anyway, and this way, he's not in any pain. The minute he starts to wake up and show us that he doesn't need help breathing, we'll take it out before he really even knows it's there. I give you my word, Grace that your dad is not in any pain right now."

She and Grace had a visual showdown until Grace finally saw something in Dr. Kuwada's eyes that she believed. Nodding, she let out a sigh and slumped back against Steve once more.

Happy that Grace's fears had been alleviated, Abby then took out a roll of stretchy tape and showed it to Grace. "Now, we want to make sure the tube stays in place, so we have to also use this tape. As you can see, it's kind of stretchy, which makes it not hurt so much when it's removed. See?" She tore off a strip and placed it on Grace's cheek. She gently removed it, showing Grace that it wasn't painful at all. Granted, the tape removal was much different after it had been on the face for more than a day, but she didn't think Grace needed to worry about that.

"Your dad also has a special IV in his arm – kind of like the one that you have, but it's in a different part of his arm called an artery. Your IV is in a vein, but while he has those in as well, this special one makes it so we can get a little bit of blood to check and see how he's recovering, but we don't have to poke him every time." She debated whether to tell Grace about the NG tube, but decided against it. With any luck, he wouldn't need it more than a few days, and she might not need to know about it.

Grace thought that at least one little bit of information sounded okay – less poking his arm would be okay with her. She wiped at a few remaining tears and stared Dr. Kuwada in the eyes. "Is my dad going to be okay? Really?"

Dr. Kuwada smiled. "You are an extraordinary daughter, Grace. Now, in the spirit of being honest, I'm going to lay it all out there. Your dad is very sick. I'm not going to lie to you. But I believe that with the help of all of us working with him to make him well, he will get better. It will take some time, but he will recover from this."

While Dr. Kuwada spoke her heart's truth, she had no way of predicting whether the obstacles that were poised and ready to get in Danny's way would inflict substantial havoc or not.

H50 H50

Danny's primary nurse overnight was Cody, and Cody was not happy with how his patient was currently behaving. His fever had continued to climb, and was sitting stubbornly at 102.6 degrees. He had just finished placing cold packs on lymph areas – armpits, groin, and neck – which would hopefully start to nudge the numbers in a more downward direction. They had given him fever reducers, without much luck thus far.

Danny's lungs sounded like crap. There was no other medical term for them that fit as well as that one did. Cody had suctioned out a fair amount of gunk, reinforcing their initial thought that Danny was also dealing with pneumonia on top of everything else. It wasn't too surprising, given the amount of bacteria in the water – but they were all hoping Danny would have dodged that particular bullet.

Dr. Kuwada had started him on IV Zosyn to cover until they knew just what would grow out of Danny's cultures. Hopefully that antibiotic would do the trick and they wouldn't have to change.

Cody finished hanging that medication, as well as a slow infusion of fluids to prevent dehydration. Satisfied that Danny was stable for now, he wet a cloth and draped it over Danny's head. "All right, buddy. You behave yourself for the next few hours, and we'll get along just fine."

"Hey Cody?" Dr. Kuwada had waited until Cody was done before stepping into the room. "How's he holding up?"

Cody shook his head with a wry smile. "I'm not impressed so far." Cody had been a nurse in the Navy for years, and had seen all kinds of patients rally from things that should have killed them – they impressed the living hell out of Cody. Right now, Danny was shaping up to be a troublemaker of epic proportions.

Abby glanced at the monitors before staring astutely at Danny. "Temp's still up, and I'm not too thrilled with his blood pressure, either."

Cody nodded. "His lungs are really junky…I've suctioned quite a bit out, but he just keeps filling back up again."

Abby blew out a breath. "Hopefully he'll respond to the antibiotics sooner rather than later." Abby was referring to the typical 48 hour window that it took to see marked improvement on antibiotics, hoping Danny would turn the corner before that time frame.

She motioned to Steve, who was waiting outside Danny's cubicle. He moved in, his eyes immediately drawn to his partner. He was shocked at how pale and still he was – other than the flushed cheeks – and how… _sick_ he really looked.

"Cody, this is Steve McGarrett. Danny is his partner on the Governor's task force."

Steve saw that Cody was gowned and gloved up, so he refrained from shaking his hand. "Do I need to wear a gown if I'm in here?"

Cody shook his head. "Just make sure you follow good hand washing techniques in and out of here and you should be fine. I just don't want to risk bringing anything to my other patient, and vice versa."

Steve respected the desire to not cross-contaminate Danny or any other patient and nodded.

Abby motioned for Steve to come over to the wall side of Danny's bed versus the glass walled doorway. "I've made arrangements for you to be able to stay with Danny if you'd like. I know you, though – you have to promise to get at least a little rest. If I see you pushing yourself to the limit, I will boot you out of here for a minimum of 12 hours. And don't push me, either. You know I will."

Steve smiled tiredly and scrubbed a hand over his face. "I'll do my best, doc."

Abby smiled sympathetically. "Listen, Steve. I get it. Right now, you're scared for Danny and pissed that you can't fix this for him. Truth be told, you have reason to be scared. Danny's got some big hurdles to get over, and you'll have to be patient while we do what we can for him."

Steve dropped onto the window seat and rested his elbows on his knees. Abby could see that he was close to the end of his rope, and sat down next to him. She lightly rubbed his back while he tried to regain some semblance of control.

"I just…I can't…he's my best friend, you know? For most of my adult life, I never was in one place long enough to even let someone get to know who I was. But Danny…he just barged in like a fucking tornado, and every wall I had ever constructed was just eventually obliterated to hell. I tried to keep him out…hell, I still keep trying sometimes…but he's just so much larger than life. He doesn't exactly take no for an answer. And before I knew what had happened, I suddenly found myself with a brother…and a niece…the family that I didn't ever think I would get to have…or hell, even deserved to have."

His voice caught as he thought not only about Danny lying here so sick, but Grace down the hall fighting her own demons named fear and worry. "Grace needs her dad…I hate that I…I just wish I could trade places with him. If it meant that Grace could go home tomorrow with Danny, I would do it in a heartbeat."

Abby wordlessly pulled Steve into a hug, tugging against his initial resistance until he gave in and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I know you would, Steve. But you have to know that you're important too. To so very many people. Grace will be fine. And I pray that in time, Danny will be too."

Cody stepped over and adjusted one of Danny's lines before writing a few numbers down on a small pad of paper. He would chart them as soon as he got out in the hall, but he motioned to the monitor above Danny's head, catching Dr. Kuwada's eyes. She could see immediately that Danny's heart rate was starting to climb – it could be a reaction to the fever, or a reaction to the infection, or even a reaction to one of the medications. Time would tell, but they would be keeping close watch on Danny until he turned the corner. Until that happened, though, Danny was a very, very ill man.

H50 H50


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Without going into too much detail, I just want to thank those of you who have left reviews. They are truly appreciated, and mean a lot.**

 ** _H50H50_**

 **Chapter 5**

The next few hours proved rough for Danny. His fever rose to 103.4 degrees, despite the fever reducers and cold packs. The culture that Anthony had taken in the ER had given Dr. Kuwada a different direction to take, and she quickly switched out his antibiotic. He was now on Levaquin through his IV, and hopefully would start to progress.

His oxygenation was not improving in the least, and the staff had shifted him slightly to his side in an attempt to improve ventilation. They were mindful of his broken ribs, and had braced him with pillows so that he was comfortable, not that he was aware of anything.

His blood pressure was way too low as his fever raged on, and Abby was doing an intricate dance with medications designed to help boost his flagging system. Danny was struggling to find his footing, much less gain any ground.

Steve was having a hard time staying in one place – he kept watch over Danny for an hour, before walking quietly through the hallway towards Grace's room, respectful of the late hour. Kono was taking the night shift staying with Grace, and Steve stole into the room silently, not wanting to wake either of them.

He leaned over and gently kissed Grace's forehead, freezing in place when she scrunched her nose and shifted her head. Thankfully she stayed asleep, which was more than he could say for his teammate. As he stood back up, he noticed Kono watching him.

"How's Danny?" Kono kept her voice a whisper as she unrolled herself from the ball she had curled into on the bench seat and followed Steve into the hallway.

Steve blew out a breath and shook his head. "He's really struggling, Kono. His fever has gone up even more, and he's still not getting enough oxygen. His blood pressure is too low. They're having a hard time keeping it where it needs to be."

Kono's eyes filled slightly. "Will he…I mean…do you think…?"

Steve pulled her into a brief hug, his own raw nerves on fire despite his desperate attempts to calm himself. "I just don't know. We have to believe he'll get through this, Kono. He has a lot stacked against him, but we have to believe he's stronger than that. He has Grace to fight for – and us. We're his family too."

Kono squeezed her arms tight around Steve's middle before stepping back. "Have you eaten anything? Had anything besides coffee tonight?"

Steve shook his head. "I'm okay."

Kono fixed him with a glare. "That's not what I asked, and you know it. At least run down to the cafeteria and get some almonds or something else with some protein. You can't run yourself ragged, Steve. Danny is going to need you strong. Grace needs you strong, too."

Steve hung his head for a moment. "I know, Kono. I know. I'll go grab something before I head back to Danny's room. Text me when Grace wakes up and I'll come and see her. Hopefully she'll get to go home later, but I was hoping that she could see Danny before she left. Doc isn't going to let that happen, unless it becomes a necessity."

Kono knew what he meant by that, as evidenced by the sharp intake of breath. "I will, Boss. Just so you know, Chin and I are planning on staying with Grace at Danny's house once she's released – it's probably easier having all of her stuff around her."

Steve nodded and glanced through the doorway, needing to see again for himself that Grace was still sleeping soundly. Satisfied that she was resting comfortably and waiting until Kono was settled again, Steve trudged back down the hallway towards Danny's room, only stopping to take the stairs down to the cafeteria.

Knowing that Kono was right, he bought a small package of almonds, a protein smoothie, and a bottle of water, as well as another large black coffee. Any more than that and Steve knew his stomach would rebel.

As he stepped back into Danny's room, he could tell that Cody was worried. "What's going on?" Steve set his snack on the bench and moved to Danny's side.

"His fever's up even more. I'm not thrilled with 104 degrees, but I also understand that we have to give the new antibiotic some time to work. He's only been on that IV for a little over two hours – but it's one that will work on the bacteria that cultured out of the pneumonia. We just have to be patient."

Cody was switching out the cold packs for new ones, and while he was doing that, Steve grabbed a basin and filled it part way with cool water. Tossing a few washcloths in, he brought it back to Danny's bedside.

He wrung the first one out and folded it, placing it on Danny's forehead. The next one, he just squeezed most of the water out and used it to gently wipe down Danny's face and arms, mindful of the various tubes and wires attached to him.

Cody had moved down and was adjusting the IV rate on the machine next to Danny's bed. "I'm just backing off on the rate of his maintenance fluids – too much can work against trying to clear up his lungs. Doc just wants to slow things down a little bit. They're going to come in about two hours or so to get a new x-ray – hopefully we'll see at least a _little_ improvement in his lungs by then."

Cody grabbed one of the washcloths from the basin and started in on Danny's legs and torso. They made sure to keep him lightly covered as they worked, not wanting him to get a chill, but trying to drag his fever down even the slightest bit.

After about ten minutes, Cody glanced at the monitors and smiled. "103.6 – it's not a lot of progress, but it's moving in the right direction at least."

He took a moment to look at Steve before facing him. "You need to get some rest, Steve. I know you're worried about Danny – and I'm guessing you're worried about Danny's daughter, too. Am I right?"

Steve nodded and wiped at his eyes, trying to erase the gritty feeling.

"Well, why don't you try to sleep for an hour or two? Tomorrow morning, they're going to try the first breathing trials to see whether Danny can maintain without the vent. Honestly, he probably is not ready to wake up, but on the off chance he does, they might need your help to settle him back down. I'm on for the rest of the night – I promise you that I'll wake you if anything changes."

Cody could see that his words were weighing on Steve, but finally, he acquiesced and headed over to the window seat, where a pillow and blanket had been placed. Sparing one more glance at his best friend, Steve stretched out on his side and shut his eyes. He firmly believed that he wasn't tired, but the white noise of the ventilator soon had him sleeping soundly, which was what his body so desperately needed.

H50 H50

Steve came awake suddenly, scanning his surroundings in a split second. As he sat up and stretched his back and neck, he glanced over at Danny and saw that the monitors were currently stable – a far cry from a couple of hours ago, when they had gone off in response to Danny's increased heart rate, scaring Steve half to death in the process.

Cody hadn't been too worried at the time, but paged Abby just in case. She had been checking on another patient across the unit and had come over quickly once she was finished.

"Hey Cody. What do you have?" She was all business as she washed her hands and gloved up before taking sight of the monitors.

Cody showed her his clipboard. "His heart rate spiked again – up into the mid to high 120's for a good four to five minutes. He's not showing any other abnormal signs, though."

Dr. Kuwada placed her stethoscope into her ears and leaned down over Danny, listening intently to his lung sounds. She moved the bell to listen to his heart and stood up, shaking her head. "Nothing out of the ordinary. So what is your deal, Danny? What is going on with you?"

She glanced from the clipboard to the monitor and back again, frustrated that the answer wasn't an obvious one.

Cody adjusted one of Danny's lines. "He's been back down anywhere from 105-110 pretty steady all night – he just had this one spike that set the alarms off. His sedation level is good – he's not bucking the vent or anything like that. I've checked every line that might be attached to him in one place or another – none of them seem to be pulling anywhere or look like they're cooking something. I just don't know."

Abby looked over at Steve, who looked as if he might punch a hole in the wall at any minute. "For now, we'll just chalk this up to Danny being a stubborn shit. Go ahead and send a CBC – we'll see if anything shows up, but I doubt it will."

She peeled off her gloves and scrubbed her hands before heading over to sit next to Steve. "Stand down, soldier."

She chuckled at his sleepy glare. "Oh, don't give me that look. Danny's still doing okay. He's just being a bit of a pain in the ass right now."

Steve shook his head. "I don't want to have to hear that alarm blaring like that out of a sound sleep again. I thought…"

Abby flung an arm around Steve's shoulder. "He's fighting, Steve. I know it may not seem like it, but he is. His fever is inching down. His lungs are still cruddy, but not quite as bad as they were. Those baby steps indicate that the antibiotic is starting to do its job. We'll just continue to support Danny until he's ready to do that on his own."

Steve nodded his head and moved to stand up. "I'm going to stretch my legs for a bit, and then head over to see how Grace is doing. Call me if anything changes?"

Abby nodded her head. "I'm on for the next two hours, and I'm back tonight. We're going to see how his breathing trial goes and you'd have to leave for that, anyway. My gut says it's too early, but you never know."

Steve smiled his thanks before heading for the stairs. He said he was going to stretch his legs, but what he meant was that he was going to punish the stress right out of his body by running the stairs two at a time until the minute trembling deep down in his body stopped, either from the endorphins or from exhaustion – he really didn't care which.

H50 H50

By the time he had pushed himself past his limit, Kono had texted him to say that Grace was awake and eating breakfast. Steve stopped back by the ICU and grabbed his overnight bag, making a stop in the doctor's lounge to clean up.

He took a quick shower before changing into clean clothes. Stashing his bag back in Danny's room, he let the day nurse, Haile, know where he would be. He was relieved to find out that Cody would be back tonight. Hopefully Danny would stay stable for the next long chunk of hours, and would give Cody a few less gray hairs during tonight's shift.

Steve had to stop outside of Grace's room when he heard the sounds of her giggling. It nearly brought tears to his eyes, how strong she was trying to be. He needed a few minutes to regain his composure, not wanting to scare Grace with his expression. Peeking around the doorway, he managed a brief smile as he watched Grace sitting cross-legged on the bed, obviously beating Chin at video games.

"Has he even started to be a worthy opponent, Gracie?" Steve stepped into the room and hurried to her side. She paused the game and wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug as he sat on the mattress next to her.

"Uncle Steve! How's Danno?" Grace was now free of the oxygen and the IV. It looked like she would be released today for sure.

"He's still sick, Grace – but he's getting better, I promise."

Grace smiled at that. "Can I see him, Uncle Steve? I promise I won't be scared."

Steve took a deep breath. "I don't think so, Gracie. He's in a part of the hospital where they don't allow kids."

Her face fell in disappointment. "I won't bother him – I just want to see him, that's all."

Steve gathered her into a hug, feeling her sag against his chest. "I know you do, sweetheart. And the minute he's feeling better and moved to a regular room, you can see him as much as you want. But for right now, he's not really allowed to have a lot of people in to visit him."

He felt Grace deflate next to him, and all he could do was just hold her and rub her back. There was nothing that would fix this or make it better other than her getting to see Danny, and that just wasn't going to happen for a while, yet.

Feeling Grace settle, he pulled back to look at her. "I'm sorry, Grace. I really am."

Grace rested her head against Steve's arm. "I know. I just wish…I just want him to get better."

Steve nodded. "You can make him a card if you want – I will put it where he'll see it the minute he wakes up."

Chin sat down on the other side of the bed and mouthed, "Kono's getting coffee" before focusing his attention on Grace. "Hey, Grace? What about making him a video? Once you get home, you can use mine or Danno's iPad, and you can make a video message. Uncle Steve can play it for him as much as you want, until you are able to visit him. What do you think?"

Grace's smile was watery. "I like it, Uncle Chin. Maybe I can write some things I want to say first? That way, I won't mess up."

Steve lightly poked her in the ribs. "There's no way you can mess up. You're talking to your dad and telling him how much you love and miss him. I promise I'll play it for him the minute I get the iPad from Chin."

Grace nodded, her sadness momentarily appeased. "Thanks, Uncle Steve."

Just then, the resident who was taking care of Grace stepped into the room. "So, Miss Grace. It looks like everything is better where it needs to be. I'm going to go ahead and write your discharge paperwork, and you can get out of here."

He understood that Grace was not going home with her dad, and turned to Chin and Steve. "I'll have the nurse go over any potential trouble spots, but I doubt you'll have to worry about them. She looks really good right now."

Kono had come into the room carrying a tray of coffees and a bottle of pineapple juice. "Looks like the party started without me. What'd I miss?"

Grace wiped at her eyes again while Chin filled Kono in. "Grace gets to get out of here in a little bit. Once we get back to Danny's house, we're going to get the iPad set up so that Grace can make a get-well video message for Danny to listen to and then watch."

Kono smiled a dimpled smile at Grace. "That sounds like the perfect idea. Whenever you're ready, we can make it happen, Grace. Okay?"

Grace nodded, a small smile on her face. "Uncle Steve? Can I ask you a favor?"

Steve turned so that he was fully facing his niece. "Of course, Gracie. Anything."

Grace took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, every bit her father's daughter. "Will you promise to call me if Danno gets worse? I mean, I know you want to try to keep bad stuff from me, but I don't want you to…at least not this time."

Steve swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. He could see the conviction on Grace's face and knew that he couldn't deny her. "I promise, Grace. If Danno gets worse, I'll call you. And…" He wasn't sure that he should share this with her, but he wanted her to understand that _not_ seeing Danny in this case would be a good thing.

"If Danno gets really bad, Dr. Kuwada said that she would sneak you in to see him, no matter what. But I don't think he'll get really bad. I think he's going to bounce back from this…it'll just take some time."

Grace stared at Steve for quite a long time before finally nodding; on some level understanding what Steve meant. "Okay, Uncle Steve. Will you tell Danno that I love him and want him to get better? I'll put that on my video, but maybe you could tell him first?"

Steve smiled and hugged her once again. "Of course I will. Now you listen to everything Kono and Chin say, and then one of them can bring me the iPad later tonight. You can call my cell phone any time you want, too, Grace. I mean it – it doesn't matter what time it is. If you need me for anything, just let me know."

He looked at Chin and Kono as well, wanting them on board. There was no way to predict how Grace would handle being separated from Danny, especially when it wasn't her choice. The cousins both nodded as all three adults turned back to the resident, who was patiently waiting.

"As I said, there will be a few minor things to watch out for, but I truly doubt there will be any concerns."

He turned to speak to Grace. "Now Grace. You don't have any major restrictions or limits, but I do want you to take it easy. If you get tired, rest. If you start coughing a lot while you're playing, slow down for a little while. I'm going to send you home with an inhaler, just in case. Did Stacy show you how to use it?"

Grace smiled and nodded. She had liked the respiratory therapist, except for when she had to get the blood gas test. "She showed me and Auntie Kono what to do."

He nodded. "Good. You don't have to use it at a certain time, but if you start coughing a lot, it should help. Other than that, you're free to get back to what you like to do."

Kono leaned over and gave Grace a squeeze. She didn't want to belittle Grace's worries over Danny's injuries and health – but she didn't want Grace to do nothing but worry until Danny got home. "I'm thinking maybe movies and drawing sounds good for this afternoon. What do you think?"

Grace nodded. She couldn't explain where her mind was. All she wanted was for her dad to come home. Not much else mattered to her, but she would at least try to pretend to be happy. Maybe she could get out her worry can again. She felt like she wanted to try to write some things down so that they weren't so mixed up in her head.

H50 H50

Steve was again seated at Danny's side, trying not to be frustrated that he hadn't tolerated the first round of spontaneous breathing trials. Abby had warned him that there was no way Danny's body would tolerate them if he wasn't ready, and truth be told, he just wasn't ready yet.

Abby had gone home, with the promise that she would be back later that night. Steve was planning on making a quick trip over to the office to grab his laptop and a few case files that still needed reports finished. He could get a little work done, while still keeping a close eye on Danny. He had promised Grace, after all.

He was only gone an hour before he found himself perched on the all-too-familiar window seat with his laptop open and another large coffee balanced on the window sill. Danny's nurse, Haile, had been in and out, and kept reassuring Steve that Danny was holding his own. The latest chest x-ray had shown a slight decrease in the amount of infection flooding Danny's lungs.

They had placed pressure compression sleeves on both legs, and Steve knew that they were necessary to prevent blood clots. He'd had to wear them for a brief time following a surgery while with the SEALs and knew they were uncomfortable, at best. He was glad that Danny wasn't awake for that – he'd have them flung across the room in no time.

Haile poked her head back into the cubicle. "Are you going to be around for a while?" Haile's Tennessee accent took a bit of adjusting to, as did her 5'10" frame. Steve wasn't used to seeing women as close to his height as she was. Her husband was stationed at Pearl, and Haile was thrilled to have found a job at Queen's. Her southern charm made her a hit with her patients as well as their family members, as it was vastly different from anything they were used to.

Steve nodded. "I should be. Why?"

Haile grinned. "Believe it or not, they're going to start Danny on some Physical Therapy while he's in here. They've had a fair amount of success starting therapies as early as the second day of the ICU stay, provided patients are relatively stable. For now, until he's off of the vent and the sedation, they're just going to do some passive range of motion exercises on his arms and legs. Once he's awake and a little more mobile, they'll work more on sitting him up, and then eventually getting him to stand and walk. He may find that he actually has a shorter recovery time once he's out of here because they started working with him so soon. Talk to his PT, but that might be something you can help with on your down time as well." Haile had figured out that Steve did not do well with long stretches of sitting still, so she hoped that this would appeal to him.

"I'd love to help out however I can. Also, his daughter is 11, and quite devastated that she cannot visit him in here. She's planning on making him a get-well video on the iPad – there's no problem with playing in here for him while he's out, is there?"

Haile shook her head. "Not a problem at all. I wish there was a way she could get in here, but she's just too young. I wouldn't want her to be afraid of anything in here. And no matter how mature she might be, she really shouldn't see her dad like this."

Steve nodded. "Unless she has to, right? Abby said the same thing. As much as I love Grace, I agree…at least for now. Danny wouldn't want her to be scared or upset – and she's so close to him, it would devastate her to see him so still, you know? The guy never stops moving – and to see him like this is unnerving, to say the least."

Haile smiled a sympathetic smile. "I know this is hard, especially because it's only been what, a day? It may not seem like he's getting better, but he is. Things are moving in the right direction, and my theory is, as long as it's moving forward, it doesn't matter the speed. He could be moving as slow as a turtle through peanut butter, but I'm happy he's moving."

Steve shook his head at her saying before schooling his face. "I just wish Danny would show us something more tangible, if that makes sense."

Haile nodded. "I hear you. Just be patient – I'd guess that within the next 48 hours, you'll see a big turnaround for Danny. The antibiotics will have really started to do their job, and hopefully he'll be off of the vent by then. He was just given a crappy hand – the accident was bad enough. But then add the broken ribs – which saved his life, so you can't feel guilty over that. That made his hurdle even bigger. And then getting pneumonia on top of all of that? His body just cried 'uncle' and is now trying to work its way back."

Steve took a sip of his coffee and shut the lid on his laptop. He was getting a headache from trying to focus – or maybe it was the sheer volume of caffeine and the lack of sleep and anything resembling nutrition that were making their presence known?

Haile had been watching Steve and could tell that he was not feeling that great. "Why don't you crash for an hour or so? PT won't be in here for about an hour and a half – that would give you just enough time for a power nap."

He tried to shake her off, but she held up her hand. "Uh uh, Steve. Don't even try. My husband does the same thing – he thinks he's invincible and doesn't have to sleep like us mere mortals do. But the truth is…you ignore your body's signals for too long, and the decision will be made for you. Just humor me…stretch out for a few minutes and shut your eyes. Best case scenario is you get a little sleep. Worst case scenario is you wasted a few minutes with your eyes shut trying to sleep."

Steve shook his head and thought about rolling his eyes, but figured with his luck, it would make his headache worse. "Your husband loses arguments quite a bit, doesn't he?"

Haile just laughed as she turned the water on to wash her hands. "You think he'd know better by now, right?"

H50 H50


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I have round two of a killer migraine going on right now, but wanted to post this before I shut down the computer and hide in the dark. Thanks for the alerts, follows, and reviews - they are much appreciated.**

 **Chapter 6**

All told, Steve managed about an hour of semi-decent sleep. He had kept one ear tuned to Danny's monitor, but even it cooperated and stayed within normal limits.

He sat up and stretched, cracking his neck and back in the process. He scrubbed his hands over his face, wincing at how badly he needed a shave. Grabbing his phone, he texted Chin, asking if he would mind stopping by and grabbing a few more things from his place.

As Steve fought to clear the remaining cobwebs from his head, he felt his phone buzz and saw that Chin had agreed to swing by the house on the way to bring him the iPad. A second text from Chin let him know that Grace was doing well – if not a little clingy – and was cuddled up with Kono in the middle of a huge blanket fort in the center of her living room. It sounded like she didn't want Chin or Kono to go too far, which was understandable after everything that had happened.

Steve saw movement outside of Danny's room, and based on what he could pick up from Haile's end of the conversation, it was PT coming to work with Danny.

Haile came in first, followed by a middle-aged man, who quickly introduced himself. "Hey there…I'm Ryan. I'm going to be working with Mr. Williams for a short while today, but will increase the length and frequency of his sessions as he recovers."

Steve reached out and shook Ryan's hand. "Hi Ryan. I'm Steve. And it's Danny – if he was awake, he'd probably rant about the whole 'mister' thing."

Ryan cracked a grin. "I'll have to make sure to try it again when wakes up then, right? Crank up his attitude a bit…get him riled up?"

Steve chuckled. He had a feeling that Ryan would get along great with Danny. "Go for it. I'm sure he'll love it."

Ryan just smiled as he headed over to the side of Danny's bed. "I read his chart, but is there anything else you can fill in for me? Everyday activity level, and his overall fitness level prior to him getting pneumonia…things like that."

Steve moved to the other side of the bed. "He's my partner on the Governor's task force, and we have two other teammates – Kono and Chin – who may be in and out. They're currently staying with his daughter, who's too young to visit him in here. Most days, we're really active. And he's always been in really good shape, despite his love for malasadas. This all stems from a surfing accident – he wiped out and was under for too long before we found him. He also tore his ACL a couple of years ago, but was able to rehab it without surgery."

Ryan nodded. "So he should bounce back fairly quickly, I would guess. Now, Haile filled me in that you're more than willing to help, so what we're going to do for now is what we call PROM – just some range of motion exercises. You can do these a couple of times a day if you want, but no more than four times a day, especially without him being able to tell you if something hurts."

Ryan moved Danny's lines off to the side, giving himself a bit more room to work. "Now obviously, be careful of his lines and any tubes – just move them out of the way, and if you can't, then go back to that area whenever you can get to it. All of the exercises you'll do ten times each, if possible."

Steve was taking mental notes as Ryan showed him the first exercises. "Starting with the upper extremities, you'll gently move his arm straight up above his head until his elbow is by his ear, and then back down. That will help with shoulder mobility. You can also move his arm out to the side and back down. The elbow has three positions that it will move in – again, just do what you can when you can. If he's not tethered to an arm board or anything like that, you can also do some gentle circles of his wrists and fingers."

Steve had copied what Ryan did on Danny's left side, with Ryan making slight adjustments here and there. Once they had finished with the upper body, they moved towards the foot of the bed.

Ryan took a deep breath, unsure of how good of friends the two men were. "Now. As a guy, I have to caution you about a very important reminder. Danny has tubing in places that aren't very male PT patient friendly – so be mindful of just how 'things' are being moved while working with lower extremities, especially while he's still attached."

Steve winced appropriately, not needing Ryan to elaborate any further. The PT just nodded once, with no additional words necessary. "There are only a couple that will work right now, but we'll add more as he's awake and tolerating them. The first one – place your hand against his shin, and cup his heel in your other hand. Slowly bend his ankle, pointing his toes towards his head, by pressing against the ball of his foot with your forearm. Keep the ankle straight, and hold for a couple of seconds before releasing."

Ryan watched as Steve worked on Danny's left ankle, and nodded that Steve had it down. "Good. Now which knee did he have the ACL tear in?"

Steve motioned as Ryan nodded. "Does he have any lingering issues with stiffness or pain that you know of?"

Steve thought for a moment. "I guess once in a while – sometimes this Neanderthal partner pushes too hard and he has to ice it and hit the Advil."

He looked sheepish but Ryan just grinned. "You'll get no gruff from me – I'm kind of an extreme sports junkie myself, so I understand the need for ice packs and anti-inflammatories. That'll just mean we take it easy on that knee until he's able to tell us his tolerance level. No worries."

Ryan showed him how to raise Danny's leg keeping it straight, as well as bend it towards his chest. "We're going to hold off on the hip stretches until he's tube free – I do not want to do any accidental pulling on that catheter."

Steve finished with Danny's last bent knee and set his foot back onto the mattress before covering him up again. "Now you're sure this is okay for me to do?"

Ryan nodded. "Absolutely. You obviously have the field medicine background."

At Steve's surprised look, Ryan gestured towards the doorway. "Dr. K filled me in when she called to order the consult. I have no qualms about you helping while he's here. If you're ever unsure of something, hold off, and you can ask either myself or Maya if she's on. But seriously – it's just some gentle stretches for now. Okay?"

Steve shrugged one shoulder. "I just…he's my partner at work, but aside from that, he's my best friend. I just want to see him up and out of here, you know?"

Ryan nodded. "I get it, Steve…I really do. And give it another day or two, and you'll see some big improvements, I'm sure."

Steve had watched Danny crumple before his eyes, so pardon him if he wasn't completely convinced. His eyes betrayed the half smile that he tried to force and Ryan shook his head. "No, I mean it. Everything about Danny is trending in the right direction – seriously, another 48 hours, and you will be able to start to put this all behind you."

Steve didn't have much left in his emotional tank to believe Ryan, but given the fact that both Haile and Cody had said pretty much the exact same thing, he would at least try. "Now the last thing – and the nurses can help with this as well – is to make sure he doesn't stay in one spot all day. It can be as simple as just shifting him a little more to one side and putting pillows behind him. We just need to make sure that his skin has a chance to breathe. It'll also feel better on his hips and back when we get him awake if he changes positions now. Make sense?"

Steve nodded and helped Ryan move Danny a little more onto his right side – all told, he had two broken ribs on the right and one broken and one cracked on the left. No matter how many times Dr. Kuwada had reassured him that he didn't have a choice, the fact was that he did that to Danny. He understood in his mind that without the CPR, Danny would have died because he wasn't breathing and his heart had stopped – hospital staff had reminded him time and time again – but he felt like complete shit for having caused so much pain to his best friend. Exhaustion wasn't helping his emotions, but Steve knew that he wouldn't fully rest until Danny was awake and bitching at him once more.

Ryan finished up his charting before giving Steve a wave and heading back out into the hallway. Catching sight of Danny's flushed cheeks, Steve grabbed the basin and filled it with cool water. He grabbed a couple of washcloths and toed the chair closer to Danny's bedside.

He dunked one cloth and wrung it out, before folding it and placing it on Danny's forehead. Glancing at the monitor above Danny's head, he saw that his fever was climbing again. It was persistent, and was back up to 103 degrees, from where it had finally fallen to 101.

Having done all he could for now, Steve moved back to the window seat and stretched out onto his back. Knowing that he was running on fumes, he decided to go ahead and shut his eyes for a few minutes to see if he could tap into his reserves. He figured Chin would be here in a little while to drop off the iPad, and hopefully he could rest a little until he showed up.

H50 H50

All told, Steve slept about two hours before finally resurfacing. He sat straight up, not sure what woke him, but immediately turning to check on Danny. Haile was adjusting one of his lines and smiled at him. "Hey, sleepyhead. His fever is back down to 101…still not great, but better than earlier. I'm glad you were able to rest a little bit, too. Doc K called to check on Danny, but also checked in on you. I think I bought you a reprieve from her mothering by telling her you were soundly asleep."

Steve smiled and ran his hands through his hair. "Thanks for that. I know she means well, but she makes me a little nervous."

Haile just shook her head. "Well like I said, she's happy you rested a while. How did you sleep?"

Steve took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "Surprisingly well, I think? How is Danny doing?"

Haile peeled off her gloves and stepped over to the sink. "Like I said, his fever's back down to 101. That's much improved from before. We turned him onto his other side, and he tolerated it well. His oxygen levels are holding steady, and his labs came back a little better than the ones they drew early this morning. All positive steps, Steve."

Steve nodded and checked his phone, which had just vibrated against his hip. It was Chin, letting him know that he was on his way up from the parking garage. "Any word on when they're going to try another breathing trial?"

Haile glanced at the clock. "I would guess sometime tonight, when Dr. K gets back on shift. The problem is, we don't want to have to put Danny back on the vent. So we have to make sure he's truly ready to be off of it. It's a slow process, but hopefully one that we'll see turning around soon."

Steve saw Chin standing outside the glass wall and motioned him inside. "Hey Chin. This is Haile – Danny's nurse for the day. Haile, this is Chin Ho Kelly – one of our partners on the task force. He's the one who helped Danny's daughter make the video for him."

Chin smiled at Haile. "Aloha. And Kono helped as well – she helped Grace write it, and then did her hair so that she would be even more beautiful on camera."

Steve grinned. "Danny will love it, I'm sure."

Chin handed him the iPad and a small duffel bag. "I stopped by your place and grabbed a few things. Grace also sent a few things for Danny, for when he's up and around again – his favorite sleep pants and t-shirt. In her words, he lives in them sometimes on the weekend, and she knows he'd want to have them here. I didn't have the heart to tell her he wasn't ready yet, so I brought them anyway. She also grabbed a picture frame from her room – she said it's Danny's favorite."

He pulled out a double frame and Steve had to blink to keep the moisture at bay. One picture was of Danny with Grace on his shoulders, and the other was of Grace hanging off of Danny's bicep. Father and daughter were beaming in those pictures. They both had been taken at Steve's, after a team barbecue.

Haile took a peek and could not contain her grin. "She's adorable! And you can tell he's totally wrapped around her finger."

Steve chuckled softly. "You have no idea. He's the most devoted Dad I know – he moved from New Jersey to be with Grace when his ex-wife remarried and moved here with her husband." He took the frame from Chin and set it on the bedside table next to the iPad.

Haile nodded her head. "He'll fight even harder if that's what he's fighting for. I just know it."

Chin knew that Steve probably hadn't taken much time for himself, so he placed his hand on his boss's shoulder. "Do you need to do anything? I can stay for a while if you need to get out and stretch your legs."

Steve shook his head. "I'm okay. I ran the stairs this morning, and I got a couple hours rest not too long ago. Ask me again tomorrow, though – maybe one of you could stop by and I could go for a run or something?"

Chin nodded. "We'll see how Grace is doing, but one of us will come over. We'll just text first to make sure it's a good time."

Steve smiled. "After I run, I can swing by and see Grace. I know she'll want an update on Danny – maybe by then I'll have some good news for her." He was thinking of the next breathing trial and hoping against hope that Danny would be off of the ventilator.

Just then, Dr. Kuwada knocked on the frame of Danny's glass-walled room. "Hey you three. Has Danny settled down any, or is he still being a gigantic pain in the ass?"

Haile smiled and shook her head. "He's been pretty cooperative the past few hours, anyway. His fever is back down to just under 101. Labs are slightly improved. Respiratory was in a couple of hours ago and gave him an inline treatment – he's a lot less congested, and this is the best he's sounded all day. They were even able to dial down on his settings without any problems."

Abby smiled. It seemed as if Danny might be turning a corner. She glanced at her watch. She had already rounded on her other patients before coming in here, having purposely carved out time to stay with Danny while they did the next breathing trial.

"Okay, Steve. I'm going to boot you out for bit. We're going to do another breathing trial with Danny, and hopefully he will fly on this one."

Chin looked a little confused. "What does that mean?"

Abby smiled and winked at Steve. "Do you want to do the honors?"

Steve flushed, remembering how he had practically jumped down her throat for an explanation last night, and had been given a glare that just about cut right through him. "No, that's okay. You explain it better than I ever could."

Haile just grinned, having heard the story from Cody during report. She got a few supplies ready, and called for TJ, the respiratory therapist covering the ICU today.

"In simple terms, Chin, we're going to put Danny on a ventilator setting where he will be responsible for taking all of his breaths on his own. We're still keeping some pressure support there, but he'll be showing us whether he's ready to come off of the vent or not. We have to dial back the sedation first – otherwise the medications he's on so that he won't fight the vent will keep him too far under to breathe on his own."

She turned to Steve. "Now I know I'm asking you to step out for a bit, but don't go too far. I have a better feeling about this trial, and if Danny's ready to come off of the ventilator, he may have a bit of time where he's awake and anxious before we extubate him – I may need your help calming him down, if that's the case."

Steve nodded. "Whatever you need. I'll just be outside in the hallway."

She glanced back at Chin; her eyes twinkling. "Take him for some coffee or something – seriously, I won't need him in the hallway for a good twenty minutes. It'll take that long to fully get him awake and start the trial. Go for a walk, do wind sprints in the parking lot – anything to keep him from staring a hole in the wall, please?"

Chin smiled and grabbed Steve's arm. "Come on, Steve. Let's let the good doctor do her thing, and then we'll get back as soon as we can. I'll leave you to it then, and you can text me how Danny is doing."

Steve turned towards the stairway, nodding at his friend as they headed downstairs. "I know you want to stay, but I'm worried about Grace. I hope I'll have good news later, and then like we said, if one of you wouldn't mind coming over here tomorrow, I'll go for a run."

Chin pushed the door open and stepped into the hallway. "I think that Grace would like that. She's been pretty antsy since she got home – she even got her worry can out, but Kono said she hadn't written in it yet."

Steve swore softly. "I'm glad she remembered about that, but I hate that she felt like she needed it." Noticing a sign in the hallway, Steve paused for a moment. "Hmm…I wonder?"

Chin looked to where Steve's gaze had gone and smiled. "It's worth a try, brah. You stop in there, and I'll grab the coffee."

Steve nodded and turned down the hallway to the set of offices. _It wouldn't hurt to ask, right?_

It only took ten minutes before Steve came out. Wordlessly, he took one of the coffees from Chin, and saw that Chin had grabbed a couple of protein shakes, as well as a container of fresh pineapple. "Thanks. We're good to go for tomorrow – after I run, I'll swing by and get Grace. We'll come back here for a bit, and then one of you can take her back home after we finish. I really think it'll do her some good."

Chin nodded. "I agree – I'll bet she'd like it if you went in with her. It'd probably make her feel a lot more comfortable." The two headed back up the stairs to the second floor.

Steve shrugged one shoulder. "If she wants me to come with her, I will if I can. It kind of depends on Danny. I just want to know that Grace is okay too, you know?"

Chin clapped Steve on the back. "She will be. You're making sure of that. Don't worry, brah. She's strong, like her dad."

Chin waved as he continued down the hall and out to the parking garage. Steve stood outside Danny's room waiting for a few minutes until Haile caught sight of him. "Steve? Come on in. We need you in here."

 **H50H50**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thank you for the well wishes - I'm happy to be migraine free. Best I can figure is it rebounded and ended up lasting two days. No fun, to say the least.**

 **I'm so appreciative of all of your comments and reviews - I'm glad you're finding this believable whump and recovery. That's my goal, LOL.**

 ** _H50 H50_**

 **Chapter 7**

Haile didn't sound worried, and yet her voice had an urgent tone to it. As soon as Steve walked into the room he figured out why. Dr. Kuwada was seated on the edge of the bed holding Danny's hands.

"Danny, it's okay. I need you to try to settle down for me." She gave Steve a wry grin over her shoulder.

" _Someone_ decided to come out of the sedation a little faster than we figured, and he's all kinds of pissed that the ET tube is still in. I can't blame him, but I really need to see if he's comfortable breathing on his own before we pull it. But his anxiety is through the roof, and I'm not getting very far."

Steve hurriedly set his things on the sink and moved to Danny's other side. He leaned over until he was in Danny's line of sight and reached for his hands. He gave them a firm squeeze. "Hey, Danny. I'm right here. Everything's okay, but they need you to calm down. Can you do that for me, huh?"

He could practically feel Danny vibrating from the stress and placed one hand firmly on his forehead, trying to stop the inadvertent thrashing. He was also biting down on the tube, which was setting alarms off left and right. "Danny, look at me. " He waited a few seconds before Danny's gaze finally locked onto his.

"That's great, D. You're doing great. Now I know the tube is bothering you, but Doc has to know if your breathing is okay before she takes it out. Help her out, Danny…can you do that?"

Danny blinked once, his eyes watering from the anxiety and from feeling like he was choking to death. He clutched at Steve's hands, needing him to understand the terror that he felt.

"I'm right here, buddy. Just hang in there, okay? You can breathe – I swear – it just feels weird because of the tube." Steve squeezed his hands a little tighter as he felt Danny start to tremble again, knowing that if his hands were free he'd try to yank the tube out.

Dr. Kuwada was quick to move into Danny's vision. "You're doing great, Danny. A few questions and then hopefully we can get that tube out. Just blink once for yes, and twice for no if you can. Do you feel like you're struggling to breathe? Not because of the tube, but because you have tightness or pain in your lungs?"

Danny blinked twice and looked for Steve again. Nothing made sense right now except for Steve being right there with him. "I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

Danny blinked one time and felt Steve sit down on the edge of his bed. When he had woken up, he almost literally felt like he was coming out of his skin, but nobody could do anything about it. Alarms were blaring, and people were loud, trying to get his attention. It was all too much. His thoughts were all over the place, but he couldn't even start to make sense of them. Now, at least, with Steve here, he knew he wasn't alone…that Steve would help him figure things out.

Dr. Kuwada placed her hand on Danny's shoulder. "Your numbers look pretty good now that you've settled down a little bit. I'm going to have Steve step out while we get that tube out, okay? I promise he's not going far – but it'll be pretty crowded in here while we work."

Danny started to shake his head and reach for the tube, but Steve was immediately in front of him holding his wrists. "Danny, it's okay. Just settle down. I'm just going to step back a little – I won't leave, I give you my word."

Steve tentatively let go of Danny's hands, and wasn't surprised when he immediately reached for the tube. Knowing how bad it would be for Danny if he were to yank that tube out, Steve barked out, "Don't."

Danny looked wildly around the room as Steve grabbed his wrists. "Danny, stop, man. Just try to relax. You have to promise me that you won't pull on that tube, okay? It's coming out, but they need room to work. I swear, Danny. Another minute or two, tops. You can do anything for a minute or two."

Danny finally made eye contact with Steve and squeezed his hand one more time. He was obviously confused, but recognized that Steve was there and wouldn't let anything happen to him. It took a few minutes before everyone was ready, but he finally let Steve release one hand and step to the side out of the way while the staff moved in. Steve made sure that Danny could still see him out of the corner of his eye, but still gave the staff room to maneuver.

Dr. Kuwada looked at TJ, who had his supplies ready. "Let's start him at 40% on the aerosol mask – we can wean down his oxygen as he tolerates, but I want the humidity for the next couple of hours at least, in case there's any swelling."

It only took a couple of very uncomfortable minutes before Dr. Kuwada had the breathing tube as well as the NG tube out, and Danny was unsuccessfully trying to catch his breath. He was struggling with his somewhat sudden return to consciousness – things were mixed up, and he had no idea what was going on. He was terrified but couldn't figure out why, and the anxiety was making it hard for him to focus on anything other than what sounded like a symphony of voices screaming in his head.

Based on the level of confusion, Abby ordered another blood gas. She needed to determine whether it was normal uncertainty following extubation, or whether his blood levels were causing his confusion. As Steve tried to keep Danny calm, Abby followed TJ, needing to see the results as soon as they were up.

Fortunately, Danny's room was close to the blood gas lab, and in no time, Abby was back with the results.

Abby moved to Steve's side and quietly ordered her staff to lower their volume. It was fairly common for patients to experience panic and disorientation following a period of unconsciousness, and the older doctor had been practicing medicine long enough to recognize the signs of Danny's distress. "Get me 40mg of methylprednisolone IV, and 10mg diazepam IM – one time dose of each, please."

She placed her hand on Steve's shoulder. "We're giving him a corticosteroid to combat any swelling in his airway, and a dose of Valium for the anxiety. His blood gas wasn't too bad – not bad enough to cause this level of confusion, at least. This is not uncommon, and it could take Danny a little time to fully orient to everything. In the meantime, keep talking to him – see if you can keep him calm until the Valium starts to work."

Steve nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. He reached for Danny's hand, grabbing it thumb over thumb. "Danny, it's okay, man. The tube's out and you're doing great. Try to just take some small breaths if you can. Your numbers are good – it'll just take a little while until things make more sense."

Danny's blue eyes searched for Steve, finally locking onto the worried gaze of his partner. He couldn't explain how he felt, other than he felt he was on a tightrope, walking between two skyscrapers – anxious, shaky, and his chest feeling as if it would crack in two if he tried to take a deep breath.

He experimented with a more shallow breath and coughed weakly; his throat raw and on fire. His eyes hadn't stopped tearing up since Abby had pulled the tube. He honestly wasn't sure if he was crying, or whether it was just leftover from the gagging that had inadvertently happened during the extubation.

"Here you go, Danny. Just a couple, okay?" Dr. Kuwada handed Steve a small cup filled with crushed ice, knowing that Danny's throat was extremely sore from the intubation. She also didn't want to give him too much by mouth, on the off chance that the extubation failed and they had to put Danny back on the ventilator. That was true worst-case scenario, but one that Abby had pinned to the front of her mind as a possibility…at least for now.

Steve moved the aerosol mask away and pressed the spoon to the seam of Danny's lips. He finally opened wide enough for Steve to slip a couple of ice chips through.

Danny closed his eyes, relishing the feel of the icy liquid trickling down his throat. Swallowing roughly, he whispered, "Thanks" before trying to focus on his surroundings. He had already figured out that he was in the hospital, but as for what had happened to put him here, he was more than a little fuzzy.

"…at happened?" Danny's voice was hoarse, and it was obviously very painful to talk. Dr. Kuwada moved around and took a seat on the other side of the bed, grabbing a tissue to wipe at Danny's eyes.

"Do you remember anything about what happened to you?" She was keeping an eye on the monitor above Danny's head, and was concerned that his heart rate was elevated compared to earlier.

Danny shook his head and shut his eyes, wincing. "Just pieces." He had decided to whisper that answer to save another round of talking around broken glass – at least that was what it felt like. The pain was everywhere, and yet he couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. His chin quivered as he tried not to full-on cry, but damn it, he wasn't sure he could take this for very long.

Dr. Kuwada was looking from Danny, to the monitors, and then to his IV pole, before settling her gaze back on her patient. She was starting to get an idea of what might be happening, but needed to see if Danny could answer a few more questions.

"Danny? I'm going to ask you a couple of questions, and I want you to hold up one finger for yes, and hold up two fingers for no. Okay?"

Danny held up his index finger, the sudden onset of nausea forcing him to keep perfectly still.

"Do you have a headache?" Dr. Kuwada kept her voice low, not wanting to make things worse.

His finger went up again.

"On a scale of one to five, how bad?" She wasn't surprised to see all five fingers up in answer to that one.

She studied his pinched face and took a guess. "How about dizziness? Pain behind your eyes? Nausea?"

Danny held up three fingers this time – one yes for each symptom listed.

Dr. Kuwada motioned to Haile. "I'm not sure if this is solely the problem, but let's d/c the Levaquin and switch to IV Rocephin instead. I think he's experiencing some pretty miserable side effects from the antibiotic, which also could explain that heart rate spike from earlier. Let's also get him 1mg of Dilaudid IM and see if we can't get that pain under control."

She turned to Steve, knowing that he would have questions. "Levaquin was the right antibiotic for the bacteria that caused the pneumonia, but unfortunately, now that Danny is awake, he's feeling pretty wrecked from some of the side effects. While he was unconscious, it wasn't an issue, other than possibly the increased heart rate the other day. Most people handle Levaquin without issue, but it seems he's one of the select few to react poorly. The Dilaudid will take care of the pain, and we're switching him to another antibiotic that will be much less harsh on him."

Steve nodded, and was grateful that Dr. Kuwada was willing to work out what was going on. He understood Danny's anxiety – it was disorienting to not remember how you got somewhere or what had happened to you – and then to have a world of hurt dumped down on you on top of that? Steve only hoped the medication worked quickly and that Danny would be able to rest more comfortably.

Danny squeezed Steve's hand, partly to get his attention, and partly to try to regain his equilibrium.

Steve squeezed back and waited as Danny forced his eyes open. "Grace?"

Steve smiled and nodded. "She's great, Danny. She's home with Chin and Kono, but she's fine."

Danny's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Hurt?"

Steve looked at Dr. Kuwada, who nodded. "You guys were in a surfing accident, but she's totally fine. I swear to you, she's good. In fact…"

He motioned to the iPad on the side table, and Dr. Kuwada handed it over to him. "Hang on a second, Danny. I've got something for you to see as soon as you're feeling up to it."

Haile came back in with the requested medications and quickly cleaned his IV port and hooked the steroid up to run. Once that was in place, she grabbed another alcohol wipe and cleaned an area on Danny's bicep, injecting the Valium before giving the Dilauded as well.

She glanced down to see Danny's blue eyes gazing up at her. She grinned, happy to see her patient somewhat alert. "Hey, sunshine. It's good to see you awake for a change."

Danny managed a small smile in return before shutting his eyes. His head was pounding, and he felt like the room was spinning out of control. He felt a soft hand on his arm, and struggled to pry his eyes open. Dr. Kuwada was looking down at him in concern. "I know things don't feel right, but I promise you it'll get better. What you're feeling is most likely a negative reaction to the antibiotic that we had you on. We're giving you fluids to help flush your system, and you just got some pain medication. It works fairly quickly, so you should start to feel somewhat better soon."

Danny closed his eyes for a few minutes, needing the pounding to stop and the spinning to settle. Once he thought he could open his eyes without puking, he turned to where Steve was holding up an iPad. He was happy to see that the lights had been dimmed – that took care of some of the stabbing pain in his head. "Here you go, Danny. Grace wanted to make you this, and made me promise to play it as much as I could while you're in here. I think this is time number eight. Maybe nine? The minute you're in a regular room, we'll get her in to see you, okay?" He pressed play and held the screen so that Danny could see it.

 _"Hi Danno."_

Danny's breath hitched as he watched his daughter sitting on their couch. Steve pressed a tissue into his hand, but didn't say a word.

 _"I know you're not feeling that great, but I promise that as soon as I can see you, I'm going to help take care of you. I'm being brave, just like I told you I would. I wish I could see you, but I know you have to get better first. So you should listen to the doctors and do whatever they say so that you can get better, okay? I want you to come home. I just…I miss you so much."_

Danny had to blink rapidly to clear his vision. He watched as Grace's chin quivered and she looked to her left for a moment. Whatever or whoever she saw must have helped, because when she turned back to face the camera, she only had to brush a few tears from her cheeks.

 _"Auntie Kono says hi…and Uncle Chin does, too. They're taking good care of me – we made a blanket fort in the living room. I wanted to sleep in your bed, but didn't want to be alone in there, so we're camping in here."_

 _She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "I hope you get better soon. I love you, Danno. To the moon and back." She blew him a kiss and waved until the screen went dark._

Danny's breath stuttered as he tried to get his breathing under control. He knew he was breathing too fast, but couldn't slow down.

"Come on Danny – slow it down for me." Steve sat on the edge of the bed, and was doing his best to try to help.

Danny shook his head, the veins in his neck cording with the panic of breathing too fast. "Can't." He was clutching at the sheets, trying to connect with something solid.

Steve reached for his hand and decided to try another tactic. "It's alright, D. I want you to try something, okay? I'm going to count – I want you to breathe in on one, and out on two; in on three, and out on four. We'll see if you can get your breathing back into a normal rhythm. Ready? One… two… three… four… one… two… three… four…" Steve had a SEAL instructor during BUDs who had used this technique when swimmers started to panic after they broke the surface of the water, and he knew that if Danny could just force himself to follow a cadence, he should break that cycle of hyperventilation.

Danny glared weakly. "Count faster." It was helping, but Danny wondered whether Steve was purposely counting as slow as he could. At least that's what it felt like.

Steve grinned. "No can do, Danny. You're doing great. Are you feeling any better?"

Danny nodded. His breathing was manageable, and the pain medicine had taken some of the headache away, but nothing was touching the hole that he felt in his heart from missing his daughter. He looked up at Dr. Kuwada with a forlorn expression on his face. "I need to see her. Please…I just…I need to see my baby girl."

Abby wasn't heartless by any stretch, but she also needed to be sure for Grace's sake that Danny wasn't about to relapse in any way, shape, or form. "I know you do, Danny. I know."

Steve stood up and motioned for her to meet him by the door. As soon as she was within earshot, he put all of his cards on the table. "I was going to pick up Grace tomorrow after I went for a run, but now that Danny's awake, I'm going to have her come here with Chin or Kono tomorrow instead – I stopped in and saw Dr. Teleia and she's agreed to let her love on Riley for a few minutes, but please…if there's any way she could see Danny, I know it would do him a world of good. He's probably thinking the worst, not getting to see her in person. Isn't there anything you can do?"

Abby sighed heavily. It went against every rule in the book – rules that were meant to protect both patient and child. And yet…and yet there was something to be said for the healing power of love, and how the smallest of actions could have the biggest rewards. So in this case, as one of her younger colleagues would say, she was going to take the rules and 'chuck 'em in the fuck it bucket' – and would do her damndest to make sure Danny got to see Grace.

"Okay. Here's what we'll do. Have Chin and Kono both come with Grace, if they can. Once they get here, have them bring her to the waiting room. Call the desk and ask for me – I'll meet them out there and let Grace know what's going on. If…and I mean it, Steve…if Danny is stable, I'll allow Grace to visit for five minutes. I'm not kidding, either. After the five minutes are up, either Chin or Kono can take Grace home after she sees Riley, and then I'm ordering you out of here for a couple of hours. The other cousin can stay with Danny while you go do something of the athletic variety."

She put her hand on Steve's shoulder and smiled softly, knowing he was about to protest. "You've been here 24-7, Steve. You need a little break to clear your head. Danny will have PT again tomorrow morning, which most likely will wipe him out. We have your phone number on file, and you know that Chin or Kono will call if anything happens."

Haile overheard most of the conversation and stepped to Dr. Kuwada's side. "I'm on again tomorrow, Steve – so I will keep an eye on Danny as well. If you go for a run, you can take your phone with you, and I give you my word that I'll call if anything changes."

Steve nodded his assent before stepping back over to Danny's side. "Good news, Danny. Doc is willing to make a deal. If you do everything she tells you to do, and if your numbers show that you're doing as well as can be expected and relatively stable tomorrow, she's agreed to let Grace sneak in here for a few minutes in the morning. How does that sound?"

Danny blinked away tears and coughed weakly against the scratchiness in his throat, nodding. "Sounds good." He kept his voice a whisper and opened when Steve pressed a couple more ice chips against his mouth. Truth was, he was feeling much less anxious now that the meds were in and starting to work.

Sinking back against the pillow, he shut his eyes, knowing that Steve was here and would make sure that everything was okay.

 _ **H50 H50**_

Just when Steve thought the worst was behind them, the next few hours proved rough for Danny as his fever spiked yet again. Haile kept up a steady stream of cold cloths and fever reducers, but nothing was really working to knock it back down.

His blood pressure was low, and his urine output was slightly less than the previous averages. He was resting, but didn't rouse as easily as Haile would have liked. All of those little changes were adding up to a potentially big problem.

Abby had checked and doubled checked all of Danny's lines. She was worried and ran another blood culture, hoping that Danny was not developing sepsis on top of everything else that had happened to him.

Steve set the washcloth back into the basin of water and dried his hands. "How's he doing, Doc?"

Abby was waiting for the labs to officially come back, but clinically, had a good strong feeling as to what was going on with Danny. "Once we get the labs back, I'm guessing they will show that Danny has developed sepsis. The fever and low blood pressure are two strong indicators of a secondary blood infection. The good news is that he was already here, we caught it early, and we can treat it. We're going to piggyback Vancomycin, so he'll be getting two antibiotics now, but we're not left with much choice. We need to get this turned around quickly. We're also going to give him a fluid boost through his IV to see if we can't get his blood pressure up. If not, there are medications we can use in the short term. We'll have to run them through his central line, but let's hope the fluids do the trick."

Steve blew out a breath and looked down at his best friend. He was restlessly dozing among the quiet chaos happening at his bedside, blissfully unaware of the anxiety he was causing. "How much will this set him back? I know how much he needs to see Grace right now – what will this do to the plan?"

Abby sighed and turned to face Steve. "Honestly? This is such a cop-out answer, but we'll need to just wait and see how he does tonight. It's not what I want, Steve. I want Danny to be able to see his daughter. But what will that do to her if he's so sick he can't even recognize that she's there?"

Steve nodded. He understood, but that didn't mean that he liked it.

Abby's shoulders slumped slightly. She never liked when her patients took a side road to recovery, and it was worse when it was someone she knew and had a soft spot for. "With any luck, we can get his fever down and get him a little more lucid. Once that happens, I'll feel more comfortable in thinking about letting Grace in to visit her dad."

 ** _H50 H50_**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Part of this chapter was written in memory of my dad. He had three amputations and was in the hospital and rehab for 10 weeks before passing away. One time, I remember him almost begging to have his hair washed - and how much he wanted that to help him feel more human. So what happens in this chapter was what happened for my dad finally. This being Father's Day weekend, my thoughts are with him, and I find myself sad that he's not here. I always miss him, but it's one of those times when I feel the loss even more.**

 **Sorry for the rambling - and thanks for letting me share him with you. This chapter mentions a couple of characters from the "Living Grace" world. Again, you shouldn't need to have read that one (although I'd love it if you haven't read it and you took a look). This chapter also ended up longer than normal - but the break didn't fit until the end. I hope you don't mind.**

 ** _H50 H50_**

 **Chapter 8**

Fortunately for Danny _and_ Grace, Danny's fever finally started to turn at about 3:00 in the morning. Cody was back on again for the night shift, and recruited another nurse to get Danny's bedding changed since he had sweat through the sheets. He hadn't had a gown on for the past couple of hours in the hopes of cooling him down, but to prevent a chill, Cody went ahead and put one on him and covered him with a light sheet now that his temperature was back down just over 100 degrees. It was a testament to how tired Steve was that he slept through all of that, but clearly, he needed the rest.

He wasn't totally out of the woods just yet, but this was a tick in the right direction at least.

Thankfully, the remaining couple of hours before dawn passed without incident. Danny had progressed from the aerosol mask to a nasal cannula, and was keeping his oxygen levels where they should be. Dr. Kuwada had gone to the doctor's room to get some sleep, but was due back on shift by 5:00 for morning rounds.

Chin and Kono had agreed to keep the plan from Grace for fear that Danny would take a turn in the wrong direction. They didn't want to get her hopes up, and then have them dashed at the last minute. She seemed happy enough that they were going to see Steve, and hopefully would be even more pleased by the surprises in store.

Steve waved at Haile as she passed Danny's room. The sun was barely turning the sky a soft pink, and already Steve was itching to get moving. He had been more than surprised when he woke shortly after Danny's fever trended down and saw the visible difference in his brother. He was more relaxed, and actually looked like he was getting some good sleep, unlike Steve, who had pretty much stayed awake, witnessing the change of shift firsthand.

Danny had woken a few times during the past couple of hours, but each time, he was able to fill in a few more pieces of the 'how did I get here' puzzle. It seemed as though his memory was starting to return, and with it came a sense of anxiety that he couldn't place.

Steve had told him that Grace was fine, and he had watched her video multiple times; but not being able to see her in person gave his mind free reign to imagine the worst.

Steve talked him back down, and he would fall into a restless sleep that was neither deep nor healing, as he truly needed. When he would awaken again, the loop would start over once more. "She's fine, Danno. I swear to you. It's only 5:30 in the morning, or I'd call her for you. I promise you that Grace is okay."

Danny coughed and shifted himself higher against the pillows. "I hear you. It's just…my brain thinks one thing but pictures another." His voice was getting stronger, and they had talked about starting to wean him down on the oxygen sometime during the day.

He was not on any food restrictions, but he found himself with no appetite whatsoever. No amount of pleading would get Danny to eat anything – and Cody had said that until he was able to consume enough by mouth, his IV's would have to stay in. They weren't too concerned, though – one antibiotic was rough – there was no telling what having two on board would do. As Danny started physically feeling better, chances were his appetite would return as well.

Steve watched as Danny drifted off once more. Taking out his phone, he texted Chin to have them stop with Grace and have her pick out a smoothie that she thought Danny would like. Maybe they could share, and at least he would have something in his stomach. He also thought that Danny might appreciate his toiletry bag from his bathroom.

It only took about five minutes before Steve's phone buzzed again. _"G already up. Okay but restless last nite. Will stall until 8."_

Steve hoped that Danny might sleep until then, but at about 7:30, Ryan poked his head into the room. "Hey, Steve." He came inside and washed his hands.

Danny heard the noise and sluggishly opened his eyes. He looked confused until Steve sat on the edge of the bed. "Hey, Danny. This is Ryan. He's from PT, and is here to work with you a little."

Ryan held out his hand and Danny weakly shook it. It was obvious that his stint in the hospital had just about completely wiped him out. "Hi, Mr. Williams. It's good to see you moving a little more."

Danny wrinkled his nose. "Not Mr. Williams. That's my old man. Danny's fine."

He wondered what he was missing with the grin between the two of them, but he honestly was too tired to figure it out.

"All right then, Danny. How are you feeling?" Ryan pulled the table over so that he could set up his iPad for charting.

"I guess better than before, obviously, but pretty much like crap. Still coughing, too."

Ryan nodded. "I see that they had to switch your antibiotic – you had a pretty rough go of the other one? I also see that they added a second antibiotic. Do you still have the headache and nausea?"

Danny shrugged his shoulder. "It's not too bad at least for now. A little bit of a headache still, but nothing like before." His brain hadn't completely caught up to the fact that Ryan said he had a second antibiotic, but at some point, Dr. Kuwada would fill in the missing pieces.

Ryan finished charting Danny's vital signs before sitting on the edge of the bed. "Well, your numbers look pretty good. Now I know it seems weird to be getting PT while you're in the ICU, but studies have shown that patients recover quicker if we keep working on their physical conditioning. Obviously you're not going to be running any marathons any time soon, but we can start slow and see how you do. Would you like to try to get into a chair? I'm sure you're feeling all kinds of stiff and sore from lying in bed."

Danny pushed himself to sit up a little more, wincing as a couple of the tubes tugged and pulled. "I'd like that – any chance of brushing my teeth while I'm up? Kind of feels like something died in my mouth."

Ryan heard that quite a bit from his patients. "I'll have Haile bring in a few things and we can work to get you cleaned up a little bit. Just give me a minute to get things situated and we'll get going. Steve? Mind giving me a hand here?"

Ryan was moving the reclining chair closer to Danny's bed. Satisfied that Danny wouldn't hear him, he whispered, "I talked to Haile and she said that Danny's daughter is coming by? Do you want to text and see if they can come in about twenty minutes? That way, he can be up in the chair and sit with her for a little bit. I know Doc K is going out on a limb letting her in here, but it's the right thing to do, in my opinion. They'll both be better off this way."

Steve nodded and reached for his phone while Ryan moved back to Danny's side. "Okay, Danny. Let's do a little bit of stretching while you're still in bed, and then we can think about getting you into the chair."

While Steve went to find Haile, Ryan started Danny on a few simple stretches – arms and shoulders to start. Danny hadn't realized just how stiff and sore he was until he could barely stretch his shoulders. Ryan had to remind him to take it easy with the broken ribs – he had already pegged Danny as someone who would try to do too much, too soon.

Clicking on the portable paging device he wore, he called Haile and asked her to bring a heat pack into Danny's room when she and/or Steve came back. "Now that your fever is down some, I'm going to put a heat pack onto your neck and shoulders. We'll get you sitting up on the edge of the bed, and I'll see if we can't relax some of that tightness out for you. How does that sound?"

Danny nodded as Steve came back into the room. His arms were full of supplies which he set on the seat under the window. It looked like Haile had sent in a patient kit with a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb and other assorted necessities. She was warming up the heat pack and would be in shortly.

She told Steve she would be in in a few minutes to help Danny get cleaned up – she wanted to wait until Danny was sitting on the edge of the bed, but she knew he would appreciate what she brought for him.

Ryan inched the head of the bed up a little at a time, knowing that Danny would most likely have a head rush from being flat for a couple of days. Danny managed well enough for Ryan to want to see how he did with the next steps. It took Ryan a few minutes to get everything squared away, but before too long, he and Steve had Danny sitting on the edge of the bed.

It was taking Danny every bit of determination not to face-plant forward from the sudden dizziness, though. He managed a clenched, "Fuck, Steve" before dropping his head down.

Danny was physically swaying, and had it not been for Steve behind him holding onto his shoulders and Ryan in front of him, he may have ended up on the floor, one way or another. "Just breathe, Danny. You're okay. It'll pass soon."

Ryan shook Danny's shoulder, afraid he was going to black out. "Don't hold your breath, Danny. Take some nice deep breaths for me." Ryan reached over and turned up Danny's oxygen, hoping it would kick start his breathing.

It took a good thirty seconds before Danny actually had some color back in his face, and by that time, Haile had come into the room. She could tell what had happened and moved in front of Danny.

"Hey, Danny. Are you with us?"

Danny opened his eyes and squinted up at the two standing in front of him. His gown was drenched in sweat and he still felt a little like he could throw up. "That sucked."

Haile grinned and moved to turn the oxygen back down to a more normal level, just as Dr. Kuwada knocked on the door. "How's it going in here?"

Ryan gave her a thumbs up. "He had a little blood pressure dump when we sat him up, but things look decent right now. Haile's going to do her thing where she totally makes his day, and then we're going to get him into the chair for a bit."

Ryan untied the damp gown and placed the heat pack along his neck and shoulders, grinning at the noise Danny made. He couldn't blame the guy – between the accident and the prolonged chemical paralysis, his muscles had to be screaming right about now.

Before Haile stepped in, Steve handed Danny a toothbrush with a little toothpaste on it. While Danny was taking care of things, Steve grabbed a cup and filled it with water, before also picking up the small plastic basin that came inside the kit. He handed Danny the basin so that he could spit out the toothpaste and waited while he rinsed his mouth and spit that in as well. It wasn't a super fantastic job, but it was certainly better than it had been. Ryan took everything from him and set it inside the sink.

Haile moved back in front of Danny and smiled. "Okay, Danny. I'm going to completely make your day here. This shower cap is not just an ordinary cap, my friend. Oh no. It is a waterless shampoo cap, so we can get that salt water out of your hair and get you feeling a little more human."

She proceeded to place the cap on his head and massage – she had even warmed it up first, which made it feel that much better. He shut his eyes and just embraced the sensation of feeling halfway normal. He kept his eyes shut until he felt the towel on his head, absorbing the leftover moisture from his hair. She handed him a comb and let him try to comb his hair back. "I'm sorry…I don't have any gel or anything like that, so you'll just have to make do." Once he was finished, she quickly got a new gown on him and tied it in place.

Steve shook his head. "Chin is going to stop by later and he's bringing your kit from your bathroom. There might be something in there you can use."

Danny just sighed. "Right now, I don't really care. This is the best I've felt since this whole nightmare started. I'm going to need to move, though – my ribs are killing me sitting up like this."

Ryan had placed an underpad on the seat of the chair and covered the whole thing with a top sheet. He didn't intend to leave Danny there for long, but knew that both he and his daughter would enjoy their visit more if Danny wasn't tethered to a hospital bed.

"Gotcha, Danny. How about we start with just standing up for a few moments, just to get your bearings." He stood in front of Danny and held onto his forearms to help him up. He had fastened a gait belt around Danny's waist just in case, but for now they didn't need to use it.

Haile managed the IV stand and urine collection bag – she just had to move the bag to a different railing, as Danny's chair was placed next to the bed. They had briefly thought of getting Danny into the clothes that Grace had sent for him, but with the catheter in place, it just wasn't feasible.

Danny was able to take more of his own weight than any of them thought he might be able to, but Ryan still guided him to sit down in the chair, so that he wouldn't suddenly plop down and jar his ribs.

Steve worried when Danny went pale from the exertion, but he waved his best friend off. "Relax, Super SEAL. I'm just wiped out. I didn't set any alarms off yet, so I think we're good."

Dr. Kuwada had watched the whole exchange and when Steve caught her eye, she nodded and grinned. Steve held up his phone and grinned, knowing that Grace was just outside the ICU.

"Okay, Danny. It seems as though you have impressed me enough to have a visitor…and I'm not easily impressed. I'm going to go and get her and explain a couple of things to her so that she's not worried. Your only job is to sit there and cuddle her when she gets here, okay? You have to try to stay calm – a coughing jag right now would not feel very good. If Ryan wanted to help you recline a little bit more, I think there would be just enough space for an eleven-year-old to fit, don't you?"

Dr. Kuwada headed for the waiting room while Steve and Ryan helped Danny get situated. Haile motioned that she would be in the hallway if they needed her. She had charting to finish, and knew the room would be on the crowded side, but she didn't want to go too far in case Danny decided to crap out on them.

Danny shut his eyes against the dizziness that had started to roll through him once again. He figured it was just his body's reaction to moving for the first time in a few days, so he tried not to worry about it. He forced himself to take a couple of relatively deep breaths and calm his nerves.

Steve lightly touched his shoulder and he opened his eyes. At his gesture, Danny turned his head to look out the doorway and saw Grace somberly walking towards his room. He could see her trying to peek around, not entirely sure where his room was. The minute she locked eyes with him, though, the biggest grin she could manage practically split her face in two.

"Danno!" She hurried in but stopped short as she hit the doorway. There was a lot of stuff in her dad's room, and she wasn't sure what she should do or where she should go now. Fortunately, Steve was moving towards her and took the decision-making out of her hands.

He scooped her up carefully and gave her a squeeze as he walked her over to the chair next to her dad's bed. He and Ryan had made sure that his right side was up against the arm with a pillow placed in between to cushion his ribs, which left Grace plenty of room to sit up against his left side. They had also tossed a light blanket over his lap to preserve his modesty in front of his daughter.

"Just go a little easy, Grace. His ribs are sore, but you can definitely hug him, okay? No pokey elbows and you will be just fine." He ended his sentence with a wink and a grin, which spoke volumes to Grace.

Steve sat her next to her dad, and immediately, her arms were wrapped carefully around his middle while his left arm cuddled her close. She just sat for a few moments, relishing the feel of having her dad awake and breathing without the struggle that he had the last time she was resting over his heart. It was pretty clear that Danny was having the same thoughts as he leaned his chin on top of her head, trying to blink enough that the tears did not fall.

Grace was the first to shift, but only so that she could give Danny the once-over. She could see that he was breathing a little bit easier, but wasn't sure how he actually was doing. Dr. Abby had told her that Danny was doing better, and that maybe in a day or two, he would be in a regular room where she could visit him as much as she wanted.

She knew if she asked her dad, he would tell her that he was fine – she knew he only wanted to protect her. So she turned to face Steve. "Is Danno really doing better, Uncle Steve? You promised to tell me the truth, remember?"

Steve chuckled while Danny just had a contented smile on his face. Grace had a mind like a steel trap sometimes. Squatting down in front of her, he took a breath. "I did promise you that, Grace. So here it is. Danno is doing much better. He still needs some oxygen, and he's getting a couple of different medicines through the IV – antibiotics and then some pain medicine if he needs it. But I swear to you, Grace. Danno is going to be okay."

He motioned for Haile to come in, knowing that she would have a way with kids. "Grace? This is Haile…she's Danno's nurse. She took care of him yesterday, too. You can ask her if you want to."

Haile knelt down next to Grace. "What do you need to know, sweet pea?"

Grace was instantly taken by the soft southern accent. Shyly, she spoke up. "I just want to know if my dad really is getting better."

Haile gave her a half-hug. "Aww, beautiful…your dad is doing so much better. His breathing is easier. His fever is coming down. He's still pretty sore in his ribs and his chest, but we're giving him medicines so that he doesn't hurt as much. I'll bet that in a day or so, he'll be booted out of here and into a regular room, where you can spend the whole day cuddling if you want to. Now you two just sit here and enjoy your smoothie – what kind did you bring?"

Grace just grinned. It was the same thing that Dr. Abby and Uncle Steve had told her. She suddenly felt like she could breathe again. "Just plain strawberry. Danno doesn't like pineapple that well…strawberry is his favorite." Contented, she squeezed back up to Danny, lightly hugging him. She knew that Danno wasn't all the way healed yet, but seeing him like this went a long way towards erasing the fear that had taken hold. Imaginations were a curse sometimes – all Grace's worried mind could envision was Danno being too sick to ever get better. Seeing him sitting up in a chair made it more real that he would get to come home soon. And for now, that's all she needed to know.

All too soon, though, Dr. Kuwada was back and motioning at the time. She bent the rules to get Grace and Danny together, but wasn't going to budge on the five minute time limit. While Danny was much improved from the day before, he still had a ways to go before she would consider him healthy.

Danny saw her out of the corner of his eye and nodded. Truth be told, he was more than done sitting up in the chair and the dizziness was not abating like he had hoped it would. He placed a few kisses to the top of Grace's head before sitting her back so that he could look her in the eye. "Hey, Monkey. Looks like time is up."

Grace couldn't help the pout that immediately followed. "But Danno…it hasn't been that long!"

Danny smiled, understanding just how she felt. "I know, babe, but maybe if we follow the rules now, she'll let you come back in here if I'm not in a regular room by tomorrow?"

Grace was not dumb. She could see the logic in Danny's argument and reluctantly nodded. "Okay. I miss you and I love you, Danno. Keep getting better, okay?" She shifted so that she could give him a kiss on each cheek, followed by one on his forehead and one on the tip of his nose.

Steve stood up as Grace climbed out of the chair. "Hey, kiddo. I'm going to take you back with Chin for a few minutes and then I have a surprise for you. Is that okay?"

Grace nodded and gave Danny one more kiss before taking Steve's hand and heading back to the waiting room.

While Steve was gone, Ryan and Haile worked to get Danny back into bed. Haile could tell that Danny was flagging, and manually ran a blood pressure check. "Well poop, Danny. That's pretty low." She looked at the numbers, which read 90/40, and stuck her head out of the room.

"Lise – can you page Dr. Kuwada here, stat? Thanks." Moving back to Danny's side, she moved to lower the head of his bed and raise his feet slightly. She also turned his oxygen back up a bit, knowing it would help him feel better. The low blood pressure wasn't necessarily a problem, and was most likely related to the sepsis, Danny's brief exertion and possibly being a bit dehydrated. She wasn't going to take any chances, though.

Abby hadn't gone too far in the unit, and was back in Danny's room within a minute. " _Now_ what kind of trouble are you causing, Danny?" She was smiling, but quickly went into business mode when she saw her patient up close. He was pale and sweaty, and looked like he had just run a marathon.

"What's going on, Danny? Talk to me." She sat on the edge of the bed and manually checked his pulse.

"Don't know…just got dizzy and it's not getting any better. Maybe getting worse? Nauseous, too."

Steve came back in and rushed to Danny's side, worried about why they were all crowded around his best friend. "What happened?"

Abby held up one hand to stall Steve's questions. "Haile? Let's get a stat CBC and electrolyte panel, just to make sure his numbers are okay. Danny, I'm not sure how much you remember me telling you about the second antibiotic. But we picked up on a slight infection in your blood, which we are treating with the new meds. My gut says this is all from the sepsis, and moving and changing positions more than anything else. You might be a little dehydrated as well. Have you had much to drink this morning?"

Danny shook his head. "I haven't really felt like it – my stomach is off, and nothing sounds remotely good. I had a little of Grace's smoothie, but not much." He paled, and swallowed convulsively a few times, trying desperately not to throw up.

Dr. Kuwada nodded as she grabbed the emesis basin and put it near Danny's head. She was starting to get a better picture of what possibly was going on. "Okay. I have a feeling you're a little low on fluids, which combined with your first trip out of bed, was just a bit much. Now I'm not at all saying that Grace's visit was a bad thing – far from it. You both needed that…anyone with eyes can see that. We'll adjust your IV for a little bit and give you a boost. But Danny, you really need to try to drink more. Your pneumonia is resolving, and I'm not that concerned with you getting fluid overloaded any more – so whatever sounds good, I want you to drink. Orally, I'd like to see you consume at least 4oz an hour while you're awake. It's not a lot, but it'll be progress so that hopefully we can get you turned around pretty quick. We'll supplement with the IV for a while longer yet. Your labs will show if anything is out of whack, and we can adjust where we need to, if we need to."

Danny nodded although the prospect of eating and drinking really had his stomach in knots; and Steve only looked marginally less wrecked hearing Abby's explanation. He wasn't sure what to think when he came back in and saw Danny looking as crappy as he did, but it wasn't good, that's for sure.

"So you mentioned a surprise for Grace. Want to share?" Danny took a couple of deep breaths through his nose and let them out slowly – he was trying not to be frustrated at this step backwards, but was not having much luck.

Steve smiled softly. "When Chin and I went to get some coffee yesterday, we ended up down by Dr. Teleia's office. I stopped by and she was in there – she said that Grace could come and say hi to Riley today. She asked why I was here, and when I told her, she said that she would do a little questioning and see how Grace was holding up."

Danny knew that there wasn't anything that he wouldn't do for his daughter – it was also apparent that there wasn't anything that Steve wouldn't do for Grace, either. He had seen that on more than once occasion, but this was just one more piece of proof.

He gave Steve a thumbs up before blowing out a breath. "Sounds good, man. When you get done, why don't you go do something for yourself? You've been camped here the whole time – you're probably itching to go shoot something or blow something up – just whatever you do, don't get arrested, 'cause I'm not quite available to bail you out just yet."

Steve chuckled and nodded. "Duly noted. I think after Grace is done seeing Riley, Kono is going to take her home and do something girly with her. Chin will hang here for a while, and I think I'll go for a run or a swim. I promise no shooting or explosions – it's not as fun anyway if you're not here to tell me I'm being an idiot Neanderthal."

Danny might have been tired, but he wasn't too tired to flip Steve off as he shut his eyes. Steve wouldn't have it any other way.

Danny kept his eyes closed until he was sure that Steve had gone back out to find Grace. It was taking everything in him to breathe through the nausea, but his body finally had enough. "Fuck." He tried to shift onto his elbow but wasn't having much luck.

Fortunately, Haile had come back into the room and saw what was happening. "Hang on, Danny." She rushed to his side and helped him turn so that he could get his head clear of the mattress in time for the vomiting to start into the trash can. Wave after wave seemed to roll through Danny until he was exhausted and miserable and shaking like a leaf.

Haile caught sight of Abby just outside of Danny's room and called out to her. "Hey Doc? We need you back in here."

Abby came back in and was all set with a snarky reply until she caught sight of how pale Danny was. "Haile?" She washed her hands and moved to Danny's side, carefully analyzing the numbers on the monitor for an indication of what was going on.

"Marked nausea and vomiting. Trash can times four. He's diaphoretic and shaky. I've increased his oxygen as well."

Abby looked down sadly at Danny. She knew this recovery was bound to be bumpy – but did he have to go four-wheeling so quickly? "Let's get him 20mg of Phenergan IM. One time dose, but I'll write a PRN order in his chart as well."

She took the washcloth that Haile had soaked in the sink and folded it, placing it over Danny's forehead.

Blearily, he looked up at her with a wrecked expression on his face. "Shoot me? Please?" He felt like shit – there was no way around it.

Abby just smiled softly. "No can do. There would be paperwork, and it's a bitch to fill out those forms." She saw Chin out of the corner of her eye and motioned him in.

"Come on in." She knew that Chin would pick up on Danny's misery so she figured she'd explain. "Danny's feeling a bit rocky right now. We're getting him some medication that will hopefully help with the nausea and vomiting."

Chin looked sadly at his friend. "Broke your streak, brah? That sucks."

Danny barely mustered up a grin. "Yeah. Don't tell Steve, okay? He's got Grace right now, and he needs a break from taking care of my sorry ass."

Chin shook his head. "First of all, you know Steve will find out somehow – that's just how he is. And second of all, none of us feel like we're taking care of you. We're ohana – we help each other out. If it were any of us in your position would you feel like we were imposing?"

Danny looked suitably embarrassed and shook his head. "I just…"

Chin sat in the chair next to his bed. "You just feel like _hana lepo_. I get it brah…it's all good."

Danny was too tired to ask Chin to translate, but if _hana lepo_ , meant 'shit', then he was 100% correct.

H50 H50


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you for all of the kind reviews. I sound like a broken record, but I really do appreciate them.**

 **On with the story...**

 _ **H50 H50**_

 **Chapter 9**

Grace held Steve's hand as they walked through the hallway. She really didn't have any idea what her surprise was, and Steve wasn't telling her anything other than she would really like it.

The second they came around the corner and opened the door, though, Grace's squeal gave her recognition away. "Uncle Steve! It's Riley!"

Steve just grinned as she rushed forward and knelt down in front of the therapy dog. She held out one hand and Riley placed his paw in her hand, 'shaking' it.

Steve shook Dr. Teleia's hand, thanking her for arranging this mini reunion. Grace suddenly remembered her manners and echoed her thanks as well.

Dr. Teleia and Steve both laughed as Riley kept nudging Grace's chin with the top of his head – it was obvious he wanted to cuddle. Grace was not one to ignore the dog's wants, so she sat down on the carpet and giggled as Riley flopped onto his side, right over top of her legs. He continued to nudge at her until she was sprawled on her back on the floor, with Riley's muzzle resting on her stomach briefly before inching his way up until his cold nose was on her neck.

Steve had taken out his phone and was capturing video of the whole reunion, knowing that Danny would love hearing the giggles and squeals coming from his daughter. Chin could easily extract the file and send it to the iPad, and that would be first thing on the agenda when Steve came back from his run.

Dr. Teleia sat down on the floor with Grace, crossing her legs and resting her elbows on her knees. "So Grace…Steve tells me that you and your dad were in a bit of an accident. Are you feeling okay?"

Grace sat up slowly and took a breath, trying to put into words how she felt. She stared down at her hands for a moment before looking up at the doctor. "I am now. I was really scared at first because I saw them pushing on Danno's chest. I thought that meant he was dead."

Steve gasped out loud. He hadn't really realized that Grace watched him doing CPR. Grace turned to him and reached for his hand, tugging him to sit by her. "It's okay, Uncle Steve. Uncle Chin told me that doing that doesn't always mean someone died – and then right after that, you texted him to say that Danno woke up in the ambulance. I was scared when I knew he was having a hard time breathing too, but you and Dr. Abby both told me the truth. I knew he was really sick, but now he's doing better so I feel better, too."

Dr. Teleia smiled – Grace had a pretty good grasp of what was going on, and it seemed as though she was handling things as well as could be expected.

"Oh, and I showed Auntie Kono my worry can – I wrote that I was really afraid that Danno wouldn't get better, and she talked to me. That was when I texted you, Uncle Steve. And you answered right back and said that Danno was a little bit better – thank you for being honest."

Steve swallowed hard against the sudden lump in his throat. Grace was such a special little girl – Danny was a lucky man. "You're welcome, Gracie. I told you I wouldn't lie to you. God, you've been so brave – I know you were scared, but I'm so proud of you for remembering how to help yourself. Danno will be proud too, when I tell him."

Grace beamed as Steve's words washed over her – she didn't think she had done anything special, but any time she could make her ohana proud, she liked that.

Dr. Teleia nodded as well. "Steve is right, Grace. You remembered some of the things we practiced while you were here – not every kid remembers to do that on their own. Are you still worried about anything right now?"

Grace shrugged her shoulders. "I just want Danno to get better and come home. I'm glad I got to see him today, but I can tell he's not all the way fixed yet."

Steve shifted to face her fully. "He's getting there, Grace. After you left I went back to see him, and he was pretty tired from sitting up in the chair. But sweetheart, your visit was the best thing for him. Dr. Abby even said so. They were going to check his blood again, to make sure he's still getting better. The only thing they're worried about right now is that he needs to try to drink a little bit more, and how a couple of the medicines upset his stomach. But you bringing him that smoothie was a great idea…it was the perfect thing to do for him. You'll have to do that again when you come and visit him next time, okay?"

Grace nodded. She was already planning on what flavor she wanted to get for Danno the next time she came. She knew that he liked strawberry, but maybe he would like a lemon slush? He liked shave ice and this was kind of the same thing.

Dr. Teleia glanced at her watch and frowned. "Well, Grace – I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Riley and I need to get going. He has to go visit a patient who has to have surgery – this little boy is pretty scared, but you remember how Riley helped you not be scared, right? It's time for Riley to work his magic again."

Grace gave Riley one more hug, squirming as he licked behind her ear. She kissed the top of his head before standing back up. "Thank you again for letting me see him. Uncle Steve kept it a secret, but I really liked getting to visit him."

Dr. Teleia gave Grace a high five. "I'm so glad. I'm going to give you one of my cards – if you ever have anything you're worried or scared about with your dad, please let me know, okay? You can call me or send me an e-mail, whichever works best. It sounds like you're feeling better about everything, and I'll bet that he's home before you know it."

Part of that was directed at Steve, who she knew was worried about Grace and how she was handling things. True, Grace would not fully be okay until Danny was back home again, but it sounded like things were trending in the right direction, at least.

She also handed Steve a card. "That goes for you too, Steve. Give me a call if you need anything, okay?"

Steve nodded and reached for Grace's hand. "We will – we promise." Steve reached down and scratched Riley behind his ears before leading Grace back down the hallway.

She stopped at the elevators and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thank you, Uncle Steve. I loved my surprise!"

Steve swept her up and rested her on his hip, knowing that she was getting too big to be held like that, and frankly, not really caring. "You're so welcome, Gracie. Now, let's go find Kono and see what kind of trouble the two of you are going to cause today. I filmed you with Riley – I want Chin to put that on the iPad for your dad to watch. You had a serious case of the giggles when Riley was licking your neck, missy. Are you ticklish? Huh? Are you?"

The elevator doors shut on Grace's reply, but her squeals echoed down the corridor as Steve tweaked her neck, signaling a slight shift in her well-being that hopefully would continue to improve with Danny's recovery.

 _ **H50 H50**_

The rest of the day saw noticeable improvement for Danny. The increased fluids had finally taken care of the low blood pressure issues, and his oxygen requirements were slowly trending back downward. The medication for his nausea had helped, and had given the small amount of oral fluids he had consumed time to get into his system. His fever was still slightly elevated, but had remained under 100 degrees for now eight hours – the longest stretch since his admission.

Kono had picked up Grace and taken her to the movies and then the plan was to grab pizza for the three of them for dinner, whenever Chin got back to Danny's place. He had texted Kono initially to let him know that Danny was asleep and that Steve had gone for a run, but had since called to say that Steve was finished and would be back after a quick shower and change of clothes.

Chin had tried to get Danny to drink something else, but it was clear that his stomach was not going to fully cooperate with him. The best he could tolerate were ice chips, but even they lost their luster after the first cupful was consumed.

Chin finally called Steve and asked him to pick up a small container of watermelon on his way back if it looked good – it was the only thing that Danny hadn't outright refused.

While Steve was at the store, he also found a box of fruit ice cups that he could store in the kitchenette on Danny's floor. It only took him another ten minutes before he was getting off of the elevators and walking down the hallway to the ICU.

Steve waved at Haile and pointed towards the refrigerator. She could see what he had in his hand, and grabbed a couple of patient labels to put on the box. "Great idea, Steve. I think that once we can find something that won't upset his stomach he'll feel much better. He just needs to start small. I know his system is messed up from the antibiotics, but hopefully this will stay down and be easy on his stomach. Anything will be better than earlier."

Steve stopped in his tracks. "What happened earlier?" Chin hadn't said anything in his texts, so Steve was at a huge disadvantage.

Haile shook her head. "I'm sorry, Steve. I didn't know you hadn't been told. Danny had a bout of vomiting earlier that kind of knocked him back for a while. Dr. Kuwada got him an antiemetic, which helped. Once things were settled down, he was able to keep some ice chips down, as well as a little juice."

Steve blew out a breath and grabbed one of the mixed berry cups, fishing a spoon out of the container on the counter. "Damn it. How much more is he going to have to take?"

Haile shook her head and walked out with Steve. "Please try not to worry. This actually isn't uncommon at all. Unfortunately the antibiotics are really harsh – although the Rocephin isn't nearly as bad as the Levaquin – and we've now added the Vancomycin on top of that – but they _are_ doing the job with the infections. We kind of just have to wait it out…he still has the IV in for now, and Dr. Kuwada wants to keep it that way for another day or two. She's not afraid to help him out medically if he gets too queasy – and this won't be a permanent thing. Now how big are those ice cups?" She deliberately tried to change his focus.

Steve looked at the lid. "They're 6oz each."

Haile nodded. "That's perfect…even if he just has a little over half of one of them every hour, we might be able to work our way down on the IV fluids." She stopped outside the door to chart a couple of things into the computer before she had to get ready to give report.

Steve saw through the doorway that Danny was either asleep or resting his eyes, and Chin was reading something on the iPad. He lifted his chin in greeting as Steve came into the room. "Hey Steve. How was your run?"

Steve smiled. "It was good…thanks for hanging out here. How's Danny doing? Haile filled me in on what happened."

Chin smiled and shook his head. "I told Danny you'd find out anyway. He didn't want to worry you…that's all. When I came in, Doc and Haile were with him, and he had some medication to help calm the nausea down. He's been resting since, and had some ice chips about twenty minutes ago. I promise you Steve…he's okay."

Steve felt a little of the tension ease, but figured it wouldn't fully dissipate until Danny was out of the hospital. "Thanks, man. I appreciate you keeping an eye out. Oh…and before you go. Would you mind pulling a video from my phone and putting it on the iPad? I think Danny would love to see this when he wakes up."

Danny's low voice joined the conversation. "He's awake." Thumbing the controls, Danny raised the head of the bed up a little. He had learned the hard way earlier that his ribs did not like sudden movement whatsoever. He had been dozing and woke up a little disoriented – he might have had a rough dream, but couldn't really remember much about it. Forgetting where he was, he started to roll over and had actually cried out in pain when his broken ribs jostled. A dose of pain medication along with an ice pack had taken away the worst of it, but Danny remembered to be a little more cautious this time around. "So what would I love to see?"

Chin was busy adding the video to the iPad, so Steve took the lid off of the fruit ice and handed it to Danny. "Haile said that just over half of this in an hour is all you need to try to do. So try a bite or two and see how that works for you."

Danny paled, having finally gotten his stomach calmed down. Reluctantly, he scraped a little of the frozen ice onto the spoon and let it melt on his tongue. Surprisingly, it didn't taste too bad, so he took another tentative bite before putting it on the tray table.

Steve placed the iPad onto the tray table as well and used the kickstand to hold it up. Pressing play, he stood back and watched Danny watch Grace play with Riley. Even Haile had to chuckle at the antics of Riley. The golden retriever didn't often come into the ICU – he was normally 'assigned' to the Pediatric floor – but on that rare occasion when a patient was terminal and only wanted to be comforted by the closest thing to their companions at home, Riley stood in admirably. It was clear though, that Grace had truly benefitted from her visit. The joy in her eyes was soothing to all.

She couldn't help but smile at the expression on Danny's face – it was clear that Grace was his world, and she could see why. She had only met his daughter once but had been thoroughly charmed by her sweet nature and obvious love for her dad.

By the end of the video, Danny was smiling harder than he had in a long while. "That was great. And thank you for taking her – for thinking of her. I'm glad that someone is looking out for her."

Steve caught Chin's look and definitely picked up on a bit of discouragement on Danny's part and wanted to stop it before it fully got started. "Look, man. I know you're frustrated at being in here – I get that. But just be patient – at the rate you're going, it'll only be a few more days until you're home. And we all love Grace – you know that. Don't look at this as what you're _not_ doing, but look at it as us making the most of getting to spend time with her – we all know you like to keep her to yourself." Steve tried to look serious but gave up quickly. "And yes, I just made it all about the rest of us, and if you don't like it, you can just bite me." Steve grinned at the expression on his best friend's face.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks. I can't even have a pity party? Some friend you are." He was smiling as he said it and meant every word. Steve was his best friend, and if he wasn't firing on all cylinders, then he was glad that Steve was taking up the slack.

 _ **H50 H50**_

Danny had been in a light doze for the better part of two hours. On the outside, he looked like he was resting, which was what he needed. Danny's mind, however, had vastly different ideas. Steve was asleep as well, and Cody, who was back as Danny's night nurse, had been in and out checking on his patient.

Danny flinched his head a couple of times, unintentionally trying to get away from the images in his head. This night, everything had happened the same as in real life, except for one major difference.

 _Confused, Danny's body knew enough to fight, and he struggled ineffectually against the buffering tide. He knew he should do something, but the now-worsening concussion, combined with a lack of oxygen had him unable to figure out the simple task of reaching down and unhooking his leash from his ankle; thus releasing him from his confinement._

 _A smaller hand clutched at his arm, and he turned his head to see Grace with her foot trapped in between the two rocks on the bottom of the ocean. She was starting to panic, knowing that she was running out of air._

 _She mouthed the words, 'Help me, Danno' – but Danny couldn't get his own leg unstuck in order to help her. He grasped at the leash of his surfboard, but couldn't get it unwrapped enough to free himself._

 _Danny could see the panic in her eyes and tried to gesture for her to stay calm, but it wasn't helping – Grace was starting to thrash, trying everything in her power to get herself to the surface. Her brain and her body were crying out for oxygen, and the realization that she couldn't get any was starting to sink in._

 _She looked at Danny with sadness, and he could read her lips as she screamed her last exhalation – 'Why won't you help me?' As the life faded from her eyes, Danny could only watch, helpless – knowing that he had failed his Monkey and had subsequently cost her her young life._

The last image that Danny had burned into his brain before he woke up with a yell was of his daughter's face, frozen in disappointment that her Danno – the man that she counted on for everything – was unable to save her life.

"Grace, I'm sorry – I'm so sorry, baby girl." Danny was starting to mutter a little louder, which brought Steve awake quickly.

"Just hang on, Grace. I'm trying. God, come on – loosen up! Grace, no!" Danny came awake with a yell, setting his heart rate monitor alarm off as well as a fiery sensation tearing through his ribs.

Steve was over by his side in a flash. "Danny, hey. It's okay. You were dreaming."

Danny looked from him to the glass doorway, where Cody was on his way in. He locked eyes with Steve once more before looking wildly around the room, the confusion evident on his face. His breaths were coming too fast, but Danny couldn't make himself slow down. His heart was galloping in his chest, and he could feel the beating everywhere from his teeth to inside his skull.

"Just breathe, Danny. You're fine – _Grace_ is fine, too. It was just a dream. Nothing more than that." Steve kept his voice low, trying to bring Danny to wakefulness and out of whatever nightmare had taken hold.

Cody silenced the alarm, giving Danny time to try to slow things down. "Damage report, Danny? Did you hurt yourself in any way?"

Danny took an experimental breath, wincing at the burning on his right side. "Ribs hurt." He wiped at the tears rolling down his cheeks, shuddering as he couldn't get the image of Grace dying out of his head. Without warning, his face paled and he shifted with a grimace.

"Oh, God…trash can…hurry!" Danny knew he was going to puke again – the remnants of the nightmare had churned up his anxiety level and made him completely nauseous. No sooner had Steve grabbed it then Danny was faced with a repeat of earlier: wave after wave of vomiting – mostly bile this time, as he hadn't really eaten anything remotely substantial – leaving him completely spent and drenched in sweat as he finally collapsed back against the pillows.

Cody had seen what was happening, and drew up the antiemetic, as well as a dose of anti-anxiety medication. Dr. Kuwada had written for both as needed, should Danny ever require them again – and it was a good thing he had them available. He was still partially stuck in the nightmare, and couldn't seem to figure out how to fight his way out.

Steve sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Danny's shoulder, trying to ground him and get him to focus on something other than what he guessed was probably a gruesome movie playing in his head.

Cody dumped the antiemetic into his IV port, and promptly injected the Valium into his bicep. He grabbed a new gown for Danny and quickly got him cleaned up; giving him a little mouthwash to swish around as well.

He checked his vital signs before glancing at the clock. "I'm going to get you some pain meds, too, Danny. Your oxygen level is pretty low, and I think it's because you're not breathing deep enough. I know you tweaked your ribs – throwing up will certainly do that, as will sitting up as fast as you did. You just try to relax a little bit – the meds may make you sleepy, and while I understand that you might not be a fan of sleeping right now, if you're tired, you need to try to rest."

Danny had started shaking from the adrenaline coursing through his system. All Steve could think to do was pull the blanket up a little higher, knowing that nothing was going to make things magically better. Cody brought in the pain meds, and eventually the medications overrode the fear and anxiety, forcing Danny into a much deeper sleep.

Quietly, Cody checked the monitors and adjusted his oxygen back down a little. Turning to Steve, he wasn't surprised to see him sitting on the edge of the window seat; his focus still on his best friend. "You doing okay, Steve?"

Steve nodded, unable to fully shake the image of Danny's devastated expression from his mind.

"Has he had any nightmares that you know of? Other than this one, I mean." Cody readjusted the pulse-ox, as it had been knocked loose.

Steve blew out a breath. "Not that I know of."

Cody moved to sit next to him on the window seat, having done everything he could do for now. "Something to keep an eye on – and it's not a definite, but something I've seen before in the military and in cases like his – is that Danny may experience some level of PTSD as a result of this. It's a little different than the PTSD that some military members and first responders deal with, but it's not uncommon for someone in a life-threatening situation to struggle. Now one nightmare doesn't signal PTSD…but if he keeps having them for a month or more, or you see that he's avoiding anything that reminds him of the accident, or he avoids talking about it – it may be something to get checked out."

Steve understood where Cody was coming from, and appreciated his candidness. "I've had a few SEAL buddies who have dealt with PTSD – I know they have told me how it sort of takes over their life. I really hope that Danny isn't headed down that road, but I'm glad you mentioned it. We'll definitely keep an eye on things. I know Dr. Teleia said to call if we needed anything, or I have a guy I see at Pearl sometimes – I can probably get a referral from him if we need to. I'm not sure how much you know, but last year, his daughter Grace was kidnapped. After she recovered, she saw Dr. Teleia a few times while she was in the hospital. The good thing is that Danny saw how much it helped Grace. I don't think he would be opposed to seeing someone if the need arose."

Cody nodded. "I'm glad. I've known too many guys in particular who think that they can just deal with it on their own, but that is the wrong way to get through it. Like I said, I don't know if he has it, or will get it – but keeping the lines of communication open are key."

He clapped Steve on the shoulder before heading back out of the room. He hoped that Danny wouldn't have issues down the road, but as long as he had people on his side who would help him – and if he would _let_ them help – he would do fine, regardless of what took place after his release.

 _ **H50 H50**_


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: The next couple of chapters has some medical things in it that have been documented and written about, but that may not be mainstream treatments. I know it's vague, but I'm just reminding readers that this is fiction, LOL. So if you read something and think there is no way that could happen, just know that it was researched, and it can happen - but it may not be utilized that often.**

 **To the anonymous and signed reviewers - thank you for your encouraging words. I can't reply to all of you, but hope you know how much I really appreciate you.**

 **And geez - this chapter didn't want to break properly anywhere else, so you get a long chapter.**

 _ **H50 H50**_

 **Chapter 10**

Danny managed to rest for much of the remainder of the night. He awoke with a bit of a medication hangover and wondered just what had gone on. He remembered coming awake quickly and there being a world of pain in his ribs, but the rest of the 'what happened' questions would have to wait for a bit.

Steve was gone, but Danny saw his note on the white board telling him that he had gone to grab some coffee and a shower.

Danny shifted in bed and swore as his muscles screamed at the change in position. Marissa, his day nurse, poked her head into the room with his breakfast tray.

"Hi Mr. Williams. I'm Marissa, and I'll be your nurse for today. How are you feeling?" She set the tray down on the table and grinned at the double frame that rested there.

Danny followed her gaze and something niggled in the back of his mind that involved Grace, but he couldn't figure out what it was. "It's Danny, please. I'm a little fuzzy, to be honest. I think something happened last night, but I'm not sure what it was – I'm guessing it involved medication?"

Marissa nodded. "Cody shared with me that you had quite the rough dream last night – he had to give you medication for pain and for nausea. Do you remember what it was about?"

Danny looked back at the picture, as if it would give him the answers. As he stared at Grace, snippets of his dream started to bubble to the surface – Grace in the water – Grace grabbing at his arm – Grace trapped. Shit… _Grace trapped_. All too forcefully, the dream exploded in a rolling boil; building in its intensity until Danny gasped. "Grace!"

Marissa reached out to steady Danny, but he shook his head. "Fuck. sorry…I just…let's just say I no longer have any difficulty in remembering what the dream was about. It's all there in Technicolor HD."

Danny looked like he was about to be sick, so Marissa grabbed an emesis basin. Danny waved her off. "I'm okay…or I will be, anyway."

Just then, Steve made it back from his coffee run. He could tell that something was off. He needed to not overwhelm Danny, so he approached cautiously. "Danny? You all right?

Danny looked at Steve with absolute despair in his eyes…he might have been able to hide it from most people, but not Steve. "Just remembered the dream from last night. I need to see Grace…I need to make sure that she's okay." Danny's mind was not doing well with the sudden change in direction – Grace was fine yesterday but not at all last night. Dreams…reality…they both were fighting for dominance, and he was exhausted trying to keep up with them.

Steve nodded and grabbed his phone. "Let me text Chin and see if she's up. I promise you that she's fine, but I get it."

Marissa kept an eye on her patient. It was clear that he was upset, but seemed to be handling things fairly well. She knew that he had had a rough night and hoped he wasn't headed for more of the same today.

Steve clipped his phone back to his belt and sat down in the chair next to Danny's bed. Remembering what Cody had said about not bottling things in, he decided to reach out. "Do you want to talk about it, D? I don't want to push, but I know it rattled you pretty good."

Marissa saw that Danny's vitals had improved to a more normal state, so she pointed at the tray. "I know it's hard, Danny, but I want you to try to at least drink what's on your tray, okay? There's juice and tea – if you want coffee, I can probably get you some decaf…but that will be key to getting you to a regular room, among other things."

Danny nodded and tried to calm his churning stomach. "I'll try…can't promise anything, but I will try."

Steve's phone rang and Danny's heart caught in his throat. He knew it was ridiculous the way he was acting, but his head was a mess right now.

"Hey, Chin. Thanks for calling so quickly." Steve smiled and Danny let out a breath. "Yeah, he's here. Hang on."

Steve handed Danny the phone. "Someone wants to say hi."

Danny had to swallow a couple of times before any sound would come out. "Hello?"

"Good morning, Danno! Are you feeling better today?" Grace's voice washed over him like a gentle stream, cooling off the fiery fear that had burned him from the inside out.

"Aww, Monkey. It's so good to hear your voice, baby girl." Grace had told him once that she didn't mind if he still called her that, even though she was eleven – she knew it was something special between her and her dad…kind of like Danno and Monkey were.

Grace could tell that something was off with her dad. He sounded…well, sad was the best way she could describe. "What's wrong, Danno?"

Danny blew out a shallow breath. He wasn't about to cry in front of his daughter. Blinking furiously to try to regain his composure he shook his head, not caring that she couldn't see him. "I'm okay, Monkey. I just had a really bad dream last night, but hearing from you is making it all better. I promise."

Grace bit her lip as she digested what her dad had told her. She kind of wondered if the dream was about her – but she didn't want to ask him and make him sadder. She decided to try to cheer him up, and vowed to text Steve later on to make sure her dad was okay.

"Guess what we did? Uncle Chin and Auntie Kono made a huge blanket fort in the living room. Uncle Chin found the closet with the extra sheets and blankets in it, and he showed me how to use these clip things to hold the sheets up. The way he put it, we can still see the TV, but we're inside the fort. I'll send Uncle Steve a picture and he can show you, okay? I told you about it on the video – did Uncle Steve play it for you?"

Danny chuckled softly. "He did, babe. A lot of times. I love you, too. And sending me a picture would be great, Monkey. That would be so unbelievably great."

Steve could see that Danny was flagging – hearing from Grace had brought such a sense of relief that once the emotional upheaval had settled down, Danny physically was deflating before his eyes. He waved at Marissa, who had stepped out into the hallway, wanting her to take a peek at Danny but also to justify his ulterior motives. He motioned for Danny to give him the phone, and after a couple of murmured grumbles, Steve now had Grace on the line.

"Hey, Gracie…Danno has to go for a little bit. One of the nurses just came in. Are we going to see you later?" He listened and smiled at her answer.

"That sounds good – tell Chin and Kono to text first just to make sure he's awake, okay? I'll tell him, I promise." Steve disconnected the call, passing on Grace's message to Danny that she loved him. He couldn't quite interpret Danny's look, but went for the proactive explanation just in case.

"I'm not sorry – I know it's been a rough morning, and you need to try to keep things calm. Grace is coming by later…one of the cousins will bring her in about an hour. You needed to see that she was okay, and now that you've heard from her, you need to try to slow things down for a little bit."

Danny shook his head. "I'm not mad – I wasn't going to be able to stay on the phone much longer without losing it – so thank you for not letting me break down in front of my daughter. She's been traumatized enough by me…this…whatever…she didn't need to listen to my potential meltdown. I know she didn't die – I just fucking talked to her, but the dream? It was so real. How am I supposed to be strong for her when I can't even make sense of things?"

Steve sat down next to him as Marissa charted his vital signs. Her nod reassured him that Danny was doing okay. "Danny, man; don't do this – you shouldn't beat yourself up. Grace is fine – she'll be fine as long as she sees you making progress. The situation was fucked up from the start, but that isn't on you – you didn't ask for this to happen. This wasn't job related – it was just a freak accident. And I wouldn't call this a meltdown. I get it, Danny. You needed to hear Grace's voice. You've done that for me when I needed reminding that there was good in the world – remember? The case with the Ranger suicide? You brought Grace over, even when I said I wanted to be alone. And then last year when Grace was in the hospital – both you and Grace were there to show me that I couldn't have done anything different to save her. So you needing to talk to your daughter? It makes perfect sense."

Danny blew out a breath. He was beyond frustrated at how shitty he felt and how slowly he felt he was progressing. But he knew that Steve was right. He heard from Grace – and would see her in about sixty minutes. One short hour out of the twenty-four he had been granted for today. He could do this. He could deal with _whatever_ as long as he focused on the fact that Grace would be here in an hour.

Resignedly, he picked up the small cup of cranberry juice and sipped it. It didn't taste horrible…it didn't taste good. As a matter of fact, it didn't really taste like anything. But he knew that drinking more would not only get the IV out, but would get the catheter out as well. And that was something he could get behind sooner, rather than later.

 _ **H50 H50**_

Danny had been able to doze a little more after hearing from Grace, but was fairly wide awake right now. He knew that some of the medications were messing with his state of mind – he wasn't sleeping that well, and knew that part of it was related to the terrifying dreams that seemed to stalk him in the middle of the night.

He had only had a couple, but they were more than enough. He understood that his mind was still trying to work through everything that had happened – and that bad dreams were likely on the agenda for a while longer.

Cody had talked to him earlier this morning before he went off shift. Steve had stayed pretty soundly sleeping, which Danny was a little surprised at. Cody hadn't given him any magical words of wisdom during their whispered conversation, but had told him of the possibility of PTSD rearing its ugly head.

Danny appreciated his candidness, and having seen Grace benefit from a few therapy sessions at least had him considering the option, should he need it. He figured he could get a recommendation from either Dr. Kuwada or Dr. Teleia – or even from Steve. The SEAL had never made a big deal out of it, but Danny knew that he had met with a guy at Pearl a few times over the years that they had been partners.

Danny glanced at the clock on the wall and tried to calm his breathing. It seemed as though the closer it got to Grace's visit, the more the anxiety was starting to seep out of him. Steve had gone to the small kitchen and brought him back a lemon ice cup. For whatever reason, the icy cold confection was helping to settle the persistent nausea that had been in the background from the moment he had been awake enough to realize how shitty he truly felt.

"Ten more minutes, Danny. Just ten more." Steve kept his voice low, not wanting to startle Danny.

Danny shook his head. "You must think I'm a fucking nut job, huh? Badass detective can't go ten minutes without freaking the hell out." His self-deprecation was palpable, as was the almost defeated look on his face.

Steve moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "Danny, don't. I mean it. Cut yourself some slack here, okay? Between the stress of the accident, and then the anxiety of waking up on a ventilator – I get it. I mean, I _really_ get it. I can't go into too much detail, but there was a point in time where I was where you are right now. Only…I didn't have Grace's visit to look forward to. I spent a few days sort of locked in this hell where I didn't know whether I was coming or going. Nothing made sense…nothing was right, you know? It took time before things were straightened out enough that I could tell the truth from my fucked up mind, but it happened eventually. And Danny, I promise you, man. You don't have to go through this alone. If you need one more reminder or a hundred more reminders that Grace is okay, then that's what you'll get."

Danny blinked at the tears rolling down his cheeks. A part of him was embarrassed that he was so emotional, but another part of him was suddenly pissed at John and Doris for the way Steve's early adult life had to be lived because of the choices they made. He knew that Steve was proud of his time in the military, but during that time, he had been shoved into becoming a man; essentially alone and keeping everyone at arm's length.

He took a breath, hoping to quell the shaking from deep inside his chest. "I just…I don't know what I'm doing, Steve. I don't feel like me, you know? I can say it out loud that Grace is fine, but then my mind kicks into overdrive and all I picture is her wipeout ending with her trapped at the bottom of the fucking ocean. How do I stop it? Huh? How do I shut my mind off? I'm so damn tired, Steve. I sleep, but I'm not asleep. How stupid is that?"

Steve reached out and squeezed Danny's forearm. "It's not stupid. You're still recovering from a pretty rough go of everything – between the accident and then getting pneumonia and sepsis on top of it? It's going to take time, but I'll bet that once you're out of here and in a regular room, you'll start to feel more normal. If I were you, though, I'd mention it to the Doc and see if there's anything she would recommend."

Danny nodded his head. "I thought I'd bring it up whenever she came in. I don't care what I have to do, but I know I have to do _something_. I don't want to keep feeling like this, you know?"

"Feeling like what, Danny?" Dr. Kuwada had come into the room at the tail end of their conversation and had an inkling as to what was going on. Cody had left a note in his chart regarding the nightmare and Danny not sleeping very well. Part of the problem was being in the ICU. There were windows but they were small, and in Danny's case, faced a wall; and patients tended to get off of their normal sleep cycles, mixing up days and nights and the like. Combine that with trying to recover physically from whatever put them in the ICU – Danny would not be the first patient to ever struggle with this type of thing.

Danny glanced at the clock and then at Steve, who quickly figured out what was going on. "Grace should be here soon. I'll go out and meet her in the waiting room. I'll give you about ten minutes…is that good?"

Danny shrugged, but nodded. He had no idea how long this would take.

Abby, however, had also picked up on the cues. "I'll call the volunteer if we're done sooner, okay?"

Steve grinned, glad that Danny would hopefully get some help to get him through the rough patch. "Sounds good. See you guys in a bit."

Danny was absentmindedly picking at the frozen dessert, not realizing that he had eaten almost the whole thing. Abby doubted whether he knew he had done that, either. She had a feeling that the vast majority of Danny's nausea was antibiotic related. But a small part could be tied to the anxiety from the dreams.

"Danny, look. You kind of look like you're heading for a firing squad here, so I'm going to make it easy for you. I saw Cody's note. I know you've had a couple of nightmares and potentially are worried about PTSD developing. I also know you're not sleeping that well, which, given everything that has happened since your admission, is not the least bit surprising. I think I have a solution – one that we'll try and see how you do. It's a medication called prazosin. It's actually a blood pressure medication which has shown fair progress in treating nightmares and insomnia due to PTSD. It's not a medicine that will put you to sleep, so to speak, but it will keep you asleep longer and will help curb the nightmares. It helps to block the adrenaline so that you get into a deeper REM sleep, which is what your body needs in order to heal."

Danny had never before appreciated something just putting it out there like that. He wasn't sure he would have gotten to the root of things so quickly, but was thankful Dr. Kuwada had. "How did…I mean, I guess it's in my chart, but…are you sure this will work?"

Abby grinned at him and squeezed his hand. "Honestly…not 100 percent certain, but I really believe it will help. Look, Danny. We're not sure that this is PTSD full blown or not. But if it is, there's not one person associated with you that would be surprised. And not because you somehow failed at your recovery. Your daughter means the world to you – it makes sense that your brain is struggling with this. For now, we'll try this to see if we can't get you some good solid sleep, which may be all you need to get the nightmares to slow or stop. If it works like I think it will, we will work to wean you back off of it in a few weeks and see how you do. You're not alone, Danny. I'm going to do my best to help you with this, I promise."

Danny's eyes flooded again, and he may or may not have held onto Dr. Kuwada's fingers a few seconds longer than necessary when she handed him a tissue.

She waited until he had composed himself before speaking with a much gentler tone. "Danny, sweetheart. I need you to really listen here for a second, okay? I have a plan for you, but I need to know you're on board with this."

Danny nodded and swallowed hard against the emotion still clogging his throat.

"Good. Now, the first thing will be to start you on the prazosin. We'll start at 1mg tonight at bedtime. We'll leave you on that dose for a few days and see how you do. If it works, great. If not, we will go up every few days until we find the dose that works for you. Some people have found relief within a couple of days, so we'll see how it goes. I don't think that you'll need to be on this for any great length of time, but I am also going to give you some recommendations for counselors that work with your insurance I understand you know Dr. Teleia? With your permission, I'd like to confer with her and see if we can't find a couple of names that would do you the most good, should you need to meet with someone. If the nightmares don't abate, you may wish to try a few sessions of talking things out. I'm highly on board with that as an option, just so you know. I've seen it work tremendously well for others in your shoes."

She saw Danny's nod and continued on. "Also, you keep improving like you are, then tomorrow we'll move you to the regular floor. I'm satisfied with everything except for how much you are eating and drinking, so I need you to try to step it up. I think that we can also get rid of the catheter…and yes, before Grace comes in, so wipe that pleading look off of your face, mister. And I'm going to go out on a limb and say that _none_ of us like you enough to want to have to put it back in – so you're going to have to keep trying to drink more. We can keep up with the nausea medication if we need to – at least for the time being."

Danny smiled, his heart feeling lighter than it had in days. Abby just grinned and shook her head right back at him.

"I'm also going to write in your transfer orders for tomorrow that you are to be out of bed as tolerated. Now, that doesn't mean push yourself to the point where you end up back on your ass…you're still dealing with broken ribs that I know cause you some pain. But if you wanted to sit in a wheelchair and let your daughter push you down to the garden, or to the cafeteria, or hell, to the benches in front of the hospital…just let your nurse know where you're headed, okay? We can even make a trip part of your PT session – Ryan had mentioned it to me, and I think it's a great idea. Finally, if you keep this up, I will tentatively look at discharging you in the next 72 hours, provided you show me that you can maintain things at home."

Danny could only nod at first. He almost wanted to pinch himself when he realized that this nightmare was possibly on its way to being over soon. "Thanks, Doc. I mean it…I just…thank you for everything. I know I owe you so much more than that, but that's all I have for right now."

Abby leaned forward and gave him a tight hug. "That's all I need, Danny. And you're so very welcome. You got the ending we always hope for – and I'm happy to have been in the right place at the right time to help you."

Danny dropped his head back onto his pillow, suddenly feeling the weight of everything that had happened. He was exhausted, and truly hoped he managed to get some sleep tonight. He wasn't expecting the new medication to be a wonder drug, but if it got him even a few hours of uninterrupted rest, he'd be thrilled.

He felt her hand on his shoulder and glanced wearily in her direction. "Please take it easy, Danny. While I know you're feeling better, the fact is, you're still recovering. I'll have Marissa come in and take care of that catheter for you, and then enjoy your visit with your daughter. I'm even willing to allow her to visit you for fifteen minutes this time, provided you promise that you will rest once she leaves. I'll go stall her for a few minutes while you get yourself unattached. It might be cantankerous of me, but your discharge to the regular floor hinges on how well you take it easy this afternoon – so don't push me, okay? You relax this afternoon and try to drink a little more. We'll start the prazosin tonight, and then tomorrow we look to get you into a regular room with activity as tolerated. I like you, Danny – but I'm getting kind of tired of seeing your ugly mug in here."

Her eyes twinkled as she grinned at him on her way out the door. He could only shake his head in response as she sashayed into the hallway, dancing to her own tune; not even trying to resemble the esteemed physician that she was.

Within the next few minutes, Marissa had blessedly removed the catheter, gotten him into a pair of scrub pants, and had helped Danny settle into the reclining chair. He was much less dizzy than before, which was probably due to him taking things a bit more slowly and having forced himself to drink more. His stomach was still really nauseous, but he was sipping on some ginger tea that Marissa had made for him earlier. She swore by it, and so far, it wasn't bothering him too much.

"Danno!" He opened his eyes to see Grace rushing into the room. Within seconds, she was tucked against his side, just like before.

"Hey, Monkey. How are you doing? I've missed you so much." Danny's voice was a little hoarse as he fought against the emotion threatening to spill out again.

"I missed you too, Danno. Are you feeling any better? Did you have any more bad dreams?" Grace had told herself that she wasn't going to ask her dad about the dreams, but truth be told, she was worried about him. He looked really tired still, and she kind of thought that he might not be sleeping very well.

Danny kissed the top of her head a few times in rapid succession before taking a shallow breath. "I didn't have any more after I talked to you. You must have been really good medicine for me."

Grace just grinned. _She loved hearing that she helped her dad, even if it was something as simple as talking to him on the phone._ "I loved getting to talk to you, Danno. I'm glad you're getting better."

Steve hadn't heard the latest news, so Danny figured he's share with both of them at the same time. "Well, guess what, Monkey? Dr. Kuwada says I'm doing better enough to get to move to the regular floor tomorrow. And you know what that means, right?"

He waited to see if she figured it out, but she looked a little puzzled as she shook her head.

Danny smiled as he shared what Abby had told him. "That means that if I'm on the regular floor, you get to visit as long as you want to. No more time limits. And she said that I'm allowed to move around a little bit, so if we want to go for a little walk down the halls, we can. We can go out to the garden or down to the cafeteria. I just have to go a little slow, because my ribs still are still pretty sore. Also, if I move too fast, it's like I just ran a race and I have to slow my breathing down. But, babe – Dr. Kuwada wasn't kidding when she said that I'm doing better. I might even get to go home in a few more days. What do you think about that?"

Grace was silent for a while, but eventually, Danny could hear her quiet sniffles as she tried not to cry out loud. The truth was, Danny understood – he _got_ it. He tucked her more carefully against his side. "Aww, babe. I know. It's okay, Grace…everything is going to be okay."

Grace shook her head, embarrassed at showing her emotions like that. "I know, Danno…"

Danny shared a soft smile with Steve, as the two waited for Grace to pull herself together. Finally, she lifted her chin and wiped at her eyes.

"Wanna know a secret, Monkey? I had a few tears myself when Dr. Kuwada told me that I might get to go home by Friday."

Her giggle snuck through, despite her best efforts, making both Steve and Danny chuckle out loud as well. "I'm just so happy you're getting better. I love you, Danno."

He kissed the top of her head once more and murmured, "I love you, too, Monkey. To the moon and back."

Steve just sat back and watched as Danny and Grace whispered contentedly back and forth. This particular visit seemed to be medicine for both of them. He quietly took out his phone and texted Chin, wondering if anything had gone on with Grace last night or not that would have her more emotional than normal, given the situation.

Shortly and over the course of a few messages, Chin had texted back to tell him that Grace had been a little more quiet than normal, but that she had promised it wasn't anything that she needed to write down. She was just worried about her dad. Chin said he thought that Grace might have had a nightmare, but she wouldn't talk about it with him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Steve could see that Grace was now cuddled against Danny's chest, resting with her eyes closed. He could see that Danny was a bit worried, as Grace was usually much more chatty with her dad. Catching his eye, Steve mouthed the word _nightmare_ , and knew that Danny understood when his own eyes closed as well, and he wrapped his arms a little tighter around his daughter.

Steve tilted his head towards the hallway while holding his empty coffee cup, silently telling Danny that he was going to go to the staff lounge. He wasn't sure whether Danny wanted to talk to Grace privately or not, so he was giving him an out if he wanted it.

"Hey, Monkey. Uncle Steve is going to get some coffee – do you want him to bring you back a juice or something?"

Grace shook her head. "No thanks, Uncle Steve."

Giving her a wink, he headed for the break room while Danny shifted a little more comfortably in the chair. "Hey, Grace? Wanna tell me what's going through your head right about now? You're kind of quiet, babe. Is everything okay?"

Grace shrugged one shoulder before looking up at her dad and remembering her promise to be brave. "I just had a bad dream last night."

Danny kissed her cheek before settling back against the pillows. "What was it about?"

Grace was silent for a few moments before turning to look at her father. "My phone rang and it was Uncle Steve. I got excited because I thought he was calling with good news. But when I answered the phone – he told me…he said that you died, Danno. He said that he wasn't going to stay here any more because you were gone, and that he was going to go back to the Navy. It really scared me, because I thought I lost you and Uncle Steve at the same time. I know it was a dream, but it seemed like it really happened."

Danny pulled her so that she was facing him and linked his fingers around her back. "Aww, babe. I'm sorry you had that dream. I'm glad you know it wasn't real, but dreams like that are really scary, aren't they?"

Grace contemplated his words. "You had one like that, too? When I talked to you on the phone?"

Danny chuckled to himself. His daughter was one bright girl. "I did."

She stared, pensively; understanding just what type of dream would have scared her dad like that. "Did I die in your dream, Danno?"

Danny blew out a breath. He didn't even want to think of that dream again, for fear of even remotely putting it out there in the universe. "I couldn't get to you, Monkey. You were stuck under the water, and I couldn't save you."

Grace shook her head. "But I'm okay, Danno. I was never stuck like you thought."

Danny smiled wryly. "I know that now, but just like you, I thought it really happened."

Grace leaned forward and gave her dad a big hug. "I'm glad we're both okay, Danno."

Danny took a breath and blew it out as he nestled his chin on her shoulder. "Me too, baby girl. Me too."

Steve poked his head back into the room and could not help but smile as he took sight of his best friend. This was the most peaceful he had looked in a while, and he took out his phone and captured a picture that he knew Danny would want to have.

"Hey sweetheart? I just saw Dr. Abby and she said to tell you that your fifteen minutes was up, but that tomorrow, she expects to see you in Danny's room for the whole day." He smiled at the slight scowl on her face, understanding her disappointment.

"Okay, but I'm going to see if Uncle Chin can bring me in time to have breakfast with Danno."

Danny grimaced, as the thought of food still had his stomach turning inside out. "Do you think you could maybe bring me another smoothie? I'm still not super hungry, but maybe we could share one?"

Grace nodded enthusiastically. "And you have movies on your iPad – maybe we can watch them together tomorrow? I'll bring my art book and some colored pencils – I can draw if you get tired and need to rest. I also have a book report due next week – I will bring my book and can read if you take a nap, too."

Steve was impressed with Grace's ability to realize that her dad was not up to doing much activity and had planned her visit accordingly. "That sounds perfect, Grace – you thought of some great things to bring with you tomorrow. Now how about if I take you back to Uncle Chin and the two of you can get back home and pack your things together."

Grace was more secure this time when it came to leaving her dad. She gave him one more hug and kiss before moving towards the door and taking Steve's hand. "Bye, Danno. I love you! See you tomorrow!"

He grinned as she practically bounced out the door. "Bye, Monkey. Be good, okay?" She was already dragging Steve towards the elevator, but Danny held no worries that his daughter would be anything but on her best behavior.

He sighed as he contemplated getting back into bed. He hated that he had no endurance whatsoever, but understood that it was to be expected. It didn't mean that he had to like it, though.

Marissa peeked around the curtain, and seeing that Danny was alone, bustled into the room. "Are you okay sitting there for a while longer, or are you about done?"

Danny grimaced as his ribs burned from him being upright. "I hate to say it, but I'm done."

Marissa nodded and moved to Danny's side. "I know you hate hearing it, but give it time, Danny. You will get back to your normal activity level before too long. I know it may not feel like it now, but I've been doing this a long time, and I promise you it will happen."

The hitch in his breath prompted Marissa to take more of Danny's weight. "Just breathe, Danny. Holding your breath makes things worse." She helped him stand steady for a moment while he regained control of his breathing before guiding him the few steps to his bed.

"Do you want a clean gown before we get you settled?"

Danny shook his head. "I'm okay for now. Maybe later I can get a few wet washcloths and clean up a little?"

Marissa nodded her head. "Absolutely. We can even try a sit-down shower if you feel up to it?"

Danny was a little embarrassed by the noise that came out of his mouth, but the idea of an actual shower after not having had one for so long was almost orgasmic in nature. Marissa's laughter followed him as he carefully sat down and shifted a quarter turn so that he could rest back against the pillows.

He glared as she bumped up his oxygen level, but before he had a chance to complain, she had fixed him with a stare. "Just for a little while, Danny. It'll help your breathing. I can tell you're winded – just humor me for the next twenty minutes or so and then we'll work our way back down. Okay?"

Reluctantly, he nodded. Truth was? He felt pretty wrecked after his longer trip out of bed. To say he was discouraged would be an understatement, but right this moment, he felt like he would never recover from this.

Marissa finished getting Danny settled and stepped back out towards the pod where the computers were housed. On her way, she saw Steve coming back and motioned for him to wait. Stalling his nervous questions, she held up a hand. "He's okay, Steve. I'm just a little bit concerned at where his head is right now. His trip out of bed really wiped him out, and I know he's frustrated. I just don't want him to be too worried. This is all normal for someone in his situation, including the frustration. Just…keep an eye on him. Try not to let him get too low, if you can."

Steve nodded. He had worried about this, wondering whether Danny would end up trying to push himself too hard on his quest to recover and get out of the hospital. "I think Ryan is supposed to come and see him later…do you think Danny will be up for it?"

Marissa nodded. "He should bounce back pretty quickly, I imagine. He just needs to rest and listen to what his body is telling him. I bumped him up on the oxygen for a little while just until his breathing settles down – it's not a setback, but he's feeling like it is."

Steve could see into Danny's room and saw that his head was facing away from the doorway. Thanking Marissa for the warning, he headed towards his best friend. He kept quiet on the off chance that Danny was napping, but the minute he stepped over to the window seat, Danny's eyes were open again.

"I'll bet Grace starts making noise at about 5:00 in the morning – she's so excited to get to spend the day here tomorrow." Steve grinned as he sat down on the cushion.

Danny shook his head. "I'm excited too. I'd be more excited if I wasn't lying here like a wet blanket."

 _Ahh, there it was._ "Danny…"

Danny waved him off. "I'm sorry. Don't mind me. I'm just feeling sorry for myself today."

Steve nodded. "I know it's hard to see from where you are, but it's only been a couple of days. Give it a couple more and you'll be feeling more like yourself."

Danny blew out a breath before reluctantly nodding. "I hate this so much. You know that, right?"

Steve grinned. "Not a doubt in my mind, man. Not a doubt in my mind."

 _ **H50 H50**_


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: This chapter contains another one of those medical procedures that has been done successfully before, but I'm honestly not sure how mainstream it is. For the sake of this story, let's all assume that it's widely used and accepted in the medical community. Mmmkay?**

 **Broken record time: Thank you so much for all of the kind words, and this is another long chapter. The muse just didn't want to stop.**

 _ **H50 H50**_

 **Chapter 11**

Danny was able to doze for a while before Ryan came to see him for PT. Ryan's goal for today was to get Danny out of bed and see how he did with walking a short distance. His goal was twofold – see how Danny's oxygen levels were and see how independent he was at this point in his recovery.

Steve had a few files that he needed to catch up on while Danny and Ryan did their thing. Governor Denning was supportive of what had happened, and had given them time off from active cases, but Steve still needed to finish a few case files.

Danny looked expectantly at Ryan, assuming that the PT had brought the wheelchair again. He was happily surprised to see that Ryan was motioning him to shift to the edge of the bed. "We're untethered today, my friend. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

Danny's grin could have lit up the room, and even Steve was smiling as he watched Danny allow Ryan to help him stand, before the two started their slow shuffle out the door.

Steve snuck out behind them, phone in hand. He really did have work to do, but he also wanted to see about capturing Danny's first foray back up on his feet for Grace, provided things went well. Obviously, if Danny struggled, Steve was not about to show the video to Grace, but figured she needed a little boost as well, just like Danny did when he watched his daughter on his iPad.

He was impressed as Danny took his time, understanding his limitations. Steve knew he was pissed about it, but at least he respected the fact that he wasn't going to be one hundred percent just yet. He watched as Danny paused and reached for the railing on the wall. Ryan was there to steady him, but Danny shook him off.

Ryan pointed back towards his room and Danny nodded. It was clear that his energy level was starting to wilt, although Ryan (and Steve) could see that he probably wasn't going to accept any help.

Steve stopped the video before moving back into the room. He wasn't going to keep the fact that he had taped him from Danny, but didn't want Danny to falter or stumble if he saw him.

It took a few moments before Ryan and Danny returned to his room. Steve could see that Danny was sweating, and his face was pale – but the smile on his face spoke volumes. Steve watched as Ryan led Danny over to the sleep chair and helped him sit down. "Marissa said that she would hook you up with a sit-down shower when we were finished. Are you okay to sit here while I go and tell her you're back?"

Danny nodded. He was sore and tired – he'd had busted ribs before but didn't remember them feeling like this for so long. He made a note to talk to Marissa about that – he just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything else going on.

"So…how did it feel to be upright again?" Steve handed Danny the cup of ice water, knowing that something cold would probably feel pretty good.

Danny was wiped out, but could not contain his smile. "I feel like shit, but man, was it worth it."

Steve looked worried, but Danny shook his head. "Relax, Super SEAL. I just meant that I'm pretty fried, and my ribs are bugging me quite a bit. But I'm happy to know just where I've been, where I am right now, and how much I still need to do before I get out of here."

Marissa chose that moment to come back into the room. Her arms were full of supplies, which she less-than-gracefully dumped onto the bed. "Just give me a minute, Danny, and we'll get you set up. We'll make this short, since I know that Ryan kicked your rear end – but you'll feel so much better."

Steve went to the small closet and grabbed the duffle bag that Chin had brought at the beginning of Danny's stay. "Grace packed you some sleep pants and a t-shirt – I'm thinking those might be more comfortable than a hospital gown and scrub pants?"

Danny nodded, loving that Grace had picked out his most well-worn pajama set – it was the softest, and he hoped he would feel a little more human once he got them on. "Would you send her a text and tell her thanks?"

Steve nodded, reaching for his phone. "I'm also going to send her this video I took of your outing today. I promise you that if it was anything other than inspiring, I would have deleted it, but I think she'll love seeing you up on your feet."

Danny just chuckled – Ryan had clued him in that Steve was playing cameraman, so he wasn't too surprised. "No worries. And tell her I'll call her later, before she goes to bed, okay?" He started to stand as he noticed that Marissa had come out of the small bathroom and winced as she held onto his elbow.

Steve nodded and stepped out into the hallway, wanting to give Danny some privacy.

Once they were alone, Danny turned to where Marissa was standing waiting for him. "Weird medical question for you. Is it normal to still have so much pain in my ribs and chest? I'm not sure if it's because I'm moving more, or whether it's something to worry about."

Marissa had him stand still while she palpated the area he was most concerned about. At his grimace, she frowned slightly. "My initial guess is that they're just taking a while to heal. But I'll mention it to Dr. Kuwada when she comes on tonight – she might want to get another x-ray just to be sure. Are you noticing the pain more so than yesterday?"

Danny nodded. "It's not drastically worse, but I would say it's more aggravating today than yesterday."

Marissa scrutinized Danny closely. "You're not big on taking pain meds, are you?"

Danny shrugged one shoulder. "Not especially – I know I'm scheduled every 4-6 hours, and that covers everything else, except for the ribs."

Marissa helped Danny step into the small bathroom. As she helped him lower the scrub pants and sit on the towel she had placed on the shower chair, she mentioned another possible alternative. Handing him a towel to cover himself with as she removed the pants and slipper socks, she said, "There might be another option. There has been some success with using a nerve block near the break. Doctor Kuwada would need to make sure that the rib isn't free floating, though – you wouldn't want to mask any warning signs where that was concerned. We'll talk with her later and see what she thinks. In the meantime, after your shower, you're due for pain meds anyway…we'll also try an ice pack again to see if it helps at all."

Danny nodded as she peeled off the gown and started the water. As soon as his IV was wrapped, she handed him the detachable showerhead once the water had warmed up, sliding his supplies within reach. "I'll step outside and leave you to it. Just don't be a tough guy, and holler if you need anything, okay? The pull cord is right next to you."

Danny smiled as she gently shut the door behind her. He knew he wouldn't last long sitting up like he was, but he was determined to make the most of the hot water sluicing down over his back. Awkwardly, he wet his hair and managed to get a little shampoo rubbed around. By the time he had tilted his head forward and tried to rinse the suds, his chest and back muscles were screaming at him.

Before he could pull the cord, however, Marissa cracked open the door and called out. "Danny? How are you doing?"

Danny turned his head towards the door. "Oww?" He wasn't in excruciating pain, but he was quickly finding himself unable to sit still for much longer.

Marissa hurried in, knowing that he was quickly nearing the end of his endurance for this task. She quickly shut off the water, unwrapped his IV and cleaned the port, injecting his pain medication right where he was sitting. No sense in making him wait too much longer.

She draped a towel over his shoulders, while rubbing a second towel over his hair. Once most of the water had been wiped away, she made a quick pass down his back and legs, before helping him get dressed in the sleep pants; and carefully wiped at his chest before helping him on with the t-shirt. She didn't miss the wince as she gently dabbed the towel over his skin.

Carefully, they made their way back to Danny's bed, where a quick check of his oxygen levels showed no need for any supplemental oxygen. He was still gingerly rubbing at his chest, which worried Marissa more than she let on.

She handed him a clay cold pack, knowing that they retained their cold longer, and didn't leave her patients all wet. "If you're okay, I'm going to leave you to rest for a little bit – just take it easy and catch your breath. I'm going to see about getting an x-ray ordered – I would feel better if we had an idea of what was causing your chest and rib pain."

Danny looked at her, worried; knowing he couldn't lie to her. "Should I be nervous here?" He adjusted the cold where it felt best.

Marissa shook her head. "I wouldn't be too panicked just yet…I'm just thinking that the issue may not totally be with your ribs. If it's what I'm thinking, it's not anything that will turn critical on us. It won't prevent you from getting to a regular room tomorrow. After you get the x-ray, I'll tell you what I was thinking, regardless of if anything shows up. Okay?"

Steve had come back into the room, hearing the last part of what Marissa had told Danny. Before he could launch into a worried tirade, she held up her hand. "Don't. Seriously. Don't go anywhere close to 'there', Steve. I'm just going to get an x-ray ordered for Danny. They would have done one anyway before sending him to the regular floor – we're just going to get it done early. Danny can tell you what he's feeling better than I can. Maybe I'm being overly cautious, but I want something checked out. It's not a critical issue, though – I give you my word on that."

Steve stared at her for a few moments before reluctantly nodding. He would do his best to be patient – but he couldn't help but worry. Danny had had enough shit thrown at him – he couldn't stomach the thought of one more setback or problem with his best friend's health.

It took Marissa all of about ten minutes to get Dr. Kuwada to order the x-ray. She hated contacting her, especially since she was due on shift in a couple of hours, but Abby had left word that anything concerning Danny was to be brought to her attention immediately. It wasn't that she didn't trust the other ICU doctors…but admittedly, she had developed a soft spot for the detective and his family. She was on her way in, and would check on the results first thing, once she got there.

Eventually, the distinct sound of the slow-moving portable x-ray machine preceded the technician who was on shift this afternoon. She lightly rapped on the door frame before poking her head inside. "Hey there. Mr. Williams? I'm Mickie. I'm here to grab an x-ray. Is it okay to come in?"

Danny waved her in as Steve moved towards the doorway to give her room. He stepped outside – there just wasn't room for an audience, not that Danny would have wanted one anyway.

He was only out there for about three minutes total, before Mickie was back on her way. "I have one other set of films to take in the ICU and then I'll get them developed ASAP. Thanks for being patient."

Steve just smiled as he headed back into the room. He watched as Danny rubbed at a spot on his chest – pretty much exactly where Steve had placed his hands to perform CPR. _Fuck. Had he caused more damage than he thought?_ He sat down on the chair and dropped his head into his hands.

Although he was lost in his own thoughts, it didn't take long for Danny to figure out that something was going on inside Steve's head. "Yo, Steve. What's got you thinking so hard, huh?"

Danny flinched when Steve raised his head – the look on his face was so lost and sad. "Steve? You okay? What's going on?"

Steve shook his head despondently. "I'm nowhere near to fucking being okay, Danny. I did that to you. Whatever issue you have going on with your chest – it's right in the spot where I had to do CPR. So no…I'm not really okay here, man." He sank back against the back of the chair, deflating in front of Danny's eyes.

Danny knew that Steve had been overloaded with guilt – misplaced as it was – since he had been admitted. Danny got it through – Steve was fiercely protective of people he cared about, and often carried their burdens as his own. Danny also knew that Steve needed a realistic reminder of just what his options had been at the time. "So tell me this, then. And I want you to actually answer me here, because I'm not convinced you're thinking too clearly right this minute. Suppose there _was_ something going on with my chest. And suppose it _was_ because of the CPR. What would the alternative have been, huh? What would have happened if you hadn't done CPR on me? Answer me, smart guy. What would have happened to me?"

Steve paled in front of Danny's eyes – he looked absolutely gutted at the thought of even attempting to put his answer out into the universe. "Danny…"

Danny's voice softened. "I mean it Steve…I need you to use some nouns and verbs and tell me. What would have happened?"

Steve's eyes filled and he shook his head. "You would have died. I would have had to tell Grace that you were gone – that I had failed to keep you safe."

Danny shook his head and tried to shift a little higher in his bed. "Steve, no. Stop right now and listen to me." He waited until Steve was looking at him. "Is that what you feel? Deep down? Because from where I sit, there is not one thing that you did that even remotely can be considered failure here."

Steve was ready to argue, but Danny cut him off. "Enough. Okay? Enough of the beating yourself up. I know that you feel like you let Grace or I down somehow, but that's not how I see it at all. Had you and Kono not done CPR, I would not be here right now. Do you get that? Truly? You saved my life, Steve. And Grace told me just how much it helped to have her Uncle Steve with her in the ER. Thankfully, I don't remember much of that time – but I'm sure you were keeping an eye on the both of us. But I'm eternally grateful that you were there with my daughter when I couldn't be. That kind of support is huge to me – you know that. And I know that you've been with me in the hospital more than you've been home. And I appreciate that so much. But no more. No more feeling guilty or beating yourself up. Okay?"

Steve pinched at the corners of his eyes, trying but failing to keep the frustrated tears at bay. He knew he was tired, but it was different from his SEAL training. Then, it was pure mental and physical exhaustion. This time, the emotional component was something that he hadn't planned on, and it made things feel that much worse in his mind. He rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head, unable to stem the flow.

Hearing the motor on the bed, he lifted his head to watch as Danny raised the head up further and carefully adjusted his position to one that was just a bit more comfortable. "I want you to do me a favor, Steve."

Steve was quick to nod. "Whatever you need, Danny. Just let me know."

Danny smiled softly. "I need you to go home and get a good night's sleep. You're exhausted, and while I'm thankful that you've been here the whole time, taking care of either Grace or I, the fact remains that you need sleep."

Danny figured that Steve would protest, and was ready the second Steve's head started shaking 'no'. "Steve, don't argue. Please. I don't want to have to worry about you, too. I have an idea that might work, and you have to promise to at least consider it."

Steve blew out a breath as his shoulders slumped. _What choice did he have? He didn't want Danny worrying about him while trying to recover._ "What is it?"

Danny smiled. "Stay long enough to talk to Doc when she gets here. Reassure yourself that I'm stable, and that whatever this pain is isn't going to cause irreparable damage. Then call Chin or Kono and ask if one of them would mind switching with you for the night. One of them can stay here, while you go back to the house and get a large helping of TLC from my absolutely adorable daughter, who would give just about anything to take care of the people she loves most."

Steve was taken aback by that statement. He hadn't ever really taken the time to connect that Grace obviously loved him just as much as he loved and cared about her. After a brief stare down with Danny, Steve finally acquiesced. "Fine. I'll go back to your place, but not until one of the cousins gets here and not until I talk with Abby and get her reassurance that everything is okay with you."

Danny looked fondly at his best friend. He knew he was torn, but Steve was not known for looking out for himself. And now that Danny was starting to feel a little better, it was time he stepped back up and nudged his brother to take care of himself for a change. "Just one night, Steve. I'll feel even better if I know you're not pushing yourself so hard that you end up in a room next to me because you face plant in the hall somewhere." He rubbed at his chest again, the talking and moving getting the best of him.

Steve flinched at the sight, but composed himself before Danny could get riled up again. Fortunately, Dr. Kuwada took that particular moment to come into the room, further distracting Danny from noticing Steve's distress.

"Well, Danny. You are determined to keep me on my toes, aren't you?" Abby was smiling as she sat down on the edge of Danny's bed.

Danny smiled tiredly. "Go big or go home, right?"

She squeezed his shin before taking a breath. "Okay. I've looked at your x-rays, and we're dealing with a little bit more than your three broken ribs. You also have a slight fracture to your sternum – your breastbone. The good news is that it's not a complete break. It's not in any danger of breaking off or causing you any medical complications. The bad news though, is that it hurts like a bitch."

Steve hung his head. It didn't matter that Danny had forgiven him…it would take a long while before he could forgive himself for causing this. A sharp smack to the side of his head had him sitting up quickly. Abby was sitting back down, while Danny had a big grin on his face.

"I told you no more, Steve. I couldn't reach you, so Abby did the honors." Danny's voice was kind – he understood where Steve's head was, and he couldn't help but think that he'd feel the same way if he were in Steve's shoes. Danny would just need to keep reminding him that he wasn't to blame here.

Steve shook his head and took a deep breath. "I'm trying, Danny. I am. But…"

"But you're exhausted and not thinking clearly." Abby interrupted Steve with a gentle tone. "Steve, I promise you. Danny is going to be fine. This is not a medical emergency. There's a treatment that was developed in England that has shown promise in treating injuries like this one. It's not very mainstream, but it has worked. You've heard of an epidural, right?"

Both men nodded, and she continued on. "Basically, this is an epidural that delivers anesthetic right to the fracture site – in this case, Danny's sternum – drastically reducing the level of pain. I'm figuring Danny will be with us for another few days – my goal is three – so during that time, we will work with the pain management team to get him some adequate pain relief that isn't narcotic. This will also help him breathe deep enough to help resolve that pneumonia even further."

She checked to make sure they were still following him and nodded when they appeared on board. "Danny, we'll continue to give you IV pain medication if you need it, but this might get us to back you off to oral pain meds, which is one step closer to getting you out of here."

Steve watched Danny, relieved to see a hint of a smile on his face. He truly hoped that Danny could get some uninterrupted sleep with the new medications, and some relief from the constant pain with the epidural.

Abby kept her focus on Danny. "Where would you rate your pain level in your chest and ribs? And be honest – we want to get the right dose of anesthetic to keep you pain free. Give me an overall rating, and a rating when the pain is the worst it can feel."

Glancing apologetically towards Steve, Danny turned back to Abby. "Probably a consistent 7, and then up to a 9 when it's bad."

Abby nodded, making a notation for the pain management team who would follow him on the regular floor. "Okay. We'll get you prepped and place the epidural here in just a bit. Once we think we're in the right place, we'll inject a numbing medicine into the catheter. The unique thing about this system is that the catheter is perforated, which lets us spread the medication around to a greater surface area. Once everything is good, we'll secure the tubing down with an adhesive film. No offense, but we'll have to work hard to find a spot to secure things down that won't feel like the ultimate wax job when we go to remove it. Steve, you can stay or you can step outside – whichever you prefer. We'll make things sterile at the site, but you're welcome to hang tight if you want to."

Abby and Danny both knew what Steve would pick and grinned at one another when he sat more comfortably on the window seat. "Give me a few minutes to get things ready, and hopefully we'll get you feeling much more comfortable so that you can get some rest tonight."

Danny's eyes narrowed in alarm briefly at the thought of another night plagued with nightmares, before Abby squeezed his hand. "It'll be okay, Danny. I'm on tonight, so you're in good hands. Cody's back tonight as well – we'll keep a close eye on things and wake you if it looks like you're heading into nightmare territory, okay?"

Danny blew out a frustrated breath. "Great. Now I can't even sleep without needing a babysitter. Joy." He shut his eyes against the unexpected and very unwelcome onslaught of moisture; needing a few moments to regain his equilibrium – he was beyond embarrassed by the random surge of emotions. One further sign that he was exhausted and not thinking too clearly.

Abby looked down fondly at her patient and waited for him to make eye contact. It took a few moments but once again, his eyes met hers. "I'm sorry, Doc. I don't know where that came from. I don't even feel like me, you know?"

Abby nodded. "I do know, Danny. And this isn't you…the _real_ you, anyway. You're exhausted and in pain. We've talked about this before. I know it's hard, but you have to cut yourself some slack here. Let us help you tonight, and hopefully tomorrow, you'll feel much more like yourself."

Danny nodded and pinched at the bridge of his nose. She patted him on the arm and stood up. "I'll go grab my supplies and make sure Marissa is free, and then we'll be back. Give me just a few minutes and we'll be ready to go."

As she left, Steve moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Danny looked discouraged, which Steve completely grasped, having been where Danny was; at the end of his rope. Sleep deprivation was never good, and while technically, Danny had been kept chemically asleep, it wasn't the healing, restorative sleep that his body needed.

Danny felt the mattress dip and looked up at his best friend. There weren't any words that needed to be said, but Danny was thankful that Steve hadn't left.

Steve, to his credit, just squeezed his forearm; letting him know that he was there and that he understood.

Fortunately, Dr. Kuwada and Marissa came back in, ready to place the catheter and hopefully get Danny some relief.

Steve stepped back and texted Chin, asking if one of them would be amenable to swapping places for the night – Danny's orders. It wasn't long before he had his reply. _"Absolutely. First big smile from G at the news. She's already got your spot in the blanket fort picked out."_

Danny was watching Steve, and relaxed slightly as he saw the soft smile on Steve's face. Must have been something related to Grace – she was about the only person to put that expression on his face.

Abby set her supplies on the cart she had brought in with her. "Okay Danny. Once we get the area cleaned, we'll give you a little lidocaine to numb the skin. At that point, we'll get moving. Do you want me to tell you what's going on, or would you rather just stay oblivious?"

She grinned behind the mask she wore – the only visible sign was the crinkling of her eyes.

Danny looked at Steve before looking back and shaking his head. "Just do what you have to do – I'm afraid if I knew what you were doing, I'd flinch or hold my breath or something. You're probably safer if you just get it done."

Abby nodded and kicked a stool up towards Danny's head. "Steve, why don't you sit up there? We're going to put a sterile drape in front of Danny's face, and that way he won't have to move his head to try to see where you are." She knew that once the drape was in place, it may make Danny feel closed off and isolated from the rest of the room – she didn't want to cause him any undue anxiety if she could help it.

Once Steve was settled up by Danny's head, Abby quickly placed the drape across and began to sterilize the chest and collarbone area. "Okay, Danny. Just a little stick – it's just the numbing medicine going in."

Danny couldn't help but flinch. He thought he would be fine with this, but being in a vulnerable position where he couldn't see anything was ramping up his anxiety level faster than he would have liked.

Steve could see what was happening, and quickly grabbed for Danny's hand. "It's all good, Danny. Everything's going fine."

Abby had a minute or so to wait while the lidocaine took effect, so she peeked over the drape at Danny. "You doing okay, Danny? The medicine should work pretty quickly, and we'll get the epidural in place. Probably about ten more minutes and we'll be done. Can you hang in that long?"

Danny swallowed hard and nodded. He really hated that his emotions were all over the place. He watched as Steve reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the iPad. "Here – just concentrate on this, and it'll be finished before you know it."

He started the video of Grace visiting Riley and smiled as Danny visibly relaxed as he caught sight of his daughter playing with the dog. Chin had also caught Grace and Kono curled up in the blanket fort, flipping through the latest preteen magazine, and Steve queued that up next. It was about four minutes of mindless chatting between the two, but it was the most lighthearted Grace had seemed in a while.

Abby nodded her thanks to Steve and turned back to her patient. After a few pinches with no reaction, she knew that his skin was numb and she could begin. It took a good five minutes of rapt concentration before she was satisfied that things were in the right spot. "Hey Danny? We're almost done here. I'm going to go ahead and inject the Bupivacaine. You should hopefully feel the pain in your chest and ribs start to fade out. We can give you a dose every 6 hours, so that should give you a few days pain free. We'll have to remove the catheter after three days, but hopefully by then, things will be feeling better enough that oral medication will take care of it."

Danny felt a bit like an animal on display with everyone watching him and waiting for whatever was going to happen, but eventually he just shut his eyes and tuned everything out but the pain in his chest. After a few moments, he noticed the pain lessening and took an experimental breath, deeper than he had been able to previously.

"Huh." He did it again to be sure. "That didn't suck. Whatever you did, Doc, seems to be working. I can't really feel much pain – hell, much of anything in my chest – but it's certainly much better than before." Even when his skin had been numbed, he still felt the deep burning pain in his chest, right over the fracture in his sternum. It was a different kind of pain, but one that hadn't ever really left him since he woke up.

Danny smiled at Steve, and eventually Dr. Kuwada as she peeked over the drape. "I think it's good. I don't know…just…thanks."

Abby just nodded. "You're very welcome, Danny. Let me get cleaned up here and order a quick film to make sure we're covering the right area, and then we'll go over a few things before I get out of your hair."

Danny and Steve kept up quiet conversation until the sterile drape was pulled away as Marissa gathered the supplies and left the room. Danny looked down cautiously, unsure of what he would see, but was surprised to only see his gown.

"We'll keep the catheter taped up near your shoulder and it shouldn't bother you. Like I said earlier, if you still need it after three days, we'll need to put a new one in. But I'm cautiously optimistic that you'll be possibly going home in three days, so we may not even need to worry about that. Now, tomorrow you'll move to the regular floor. I'll still check in on you, but will sign over your care to Dr. Reese. He's the hospitalist, and I trust him implicitly. He and I have already gone over some of the information from your case, and he's aware of the tentative three day rule for discharge out of here."

She looked Danny directly in the eyes for the next part of her instructions. "You're not allowed to be a tough guy – if you have excessive pain, you have to let him or I know. Your activity level will be increased as tolerated, and I know that Ryan will be following you on the floor – but you can't try to do too much, too fast. We don't want any setbacks from here on out. We'll start the prazosin tonight at bedtime and see how you do with that. We should have an idea by the time you're discharged whether it's the right starting dose or not. Now I know I just threw a lot of information at you, and it's a lot to take in, but do you have any questions for me?"

Danny shook his head as he enjoyed the sensation of taking another healing breath. "I'm not going to do anything to screw up getting to go home, Doc. If the meds work tonight and I can get some sleep, I'll be good."

A light knock on the door had all three of them turning to see who was there. Chin poked his head in. "Is this a bad time?"

Abby waved him in and stood to get out of their way. "It's good to see you again, Chin. We're finished in here, I think. Are you here to send this guy home to get some rest?" She gestured towards Steve and smiled as Chin nodded.

"Sounds good. Danny's stable, and the plan is to move him to the regular floor tomorrow. I'm around if you have any questions, and if I'm not here, Cody will know how to find me." That was said for all of their benefits. She also handed Steve one of her business cards.

"Steve, this has my personal cell number. If you're at all worried tonight, shoot me a message and I'll call you as soon as I can. I don't foresee any issues at all. But if the reassurance helps you get some sleep, I'm all for it."

Steve nodded, knowing that Abby was right. He _did_ need to get some sleep that wasn't interrupted by random alarms and assorted medical personnel. So while he still had his reservations, he took a few moments to gather his things.

"If you need me for anything tonight, please call me. I mean it – it doesn't matter how small or trivial." He waited until both Danny and Chin had nodded before slowly making his way out the door and down the hallway.

Abby grinned at the two men remaining in the room, as Mickie came rumbling back to shoot another x-ray. "Anyone want to place bets on how long it takes Steve to call and check in?" She wasn't making fun of Steve by any means. He had been through the wringer trying to keep things together for everyone, without a care for himself. She _got_ Steve's emotions right now, and hoped that he would be able to rest tonight.

Chin grinned and shook his head. "I'm sure we'll hear from him tonight, but I have a feeling that Grace will initiate operation "Make Uncle Steve Smile" the minute he gets back to Danny's. She redid the blanket fort, making sure he had a good view of the coffee table, where the iPad was. She had Kono load "Speed", not caring whether Steve had seen it or not, but knew that there were lots of explosions, and that was good enough for her."

Danny chuckled softly and shook his head. "Leave it to my daughter to use an action flick as comfort for Steve." Grace had the biggest heart out of almost anyone he knew, and would stop at nothing to make sure Steve was happy.

H50 H50


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: You guys blew me away with the response to the last chapter. This is one grateful author!**

 **I have a bit of a dilemma. I'm going out of town on Sunday, and will be gone nine days and am not taking my laptop. My goal is to get this finished and posted before I go, but I normally post every 3-4 days and there are still two more chapters after this (unless the muse gets fired up and demands more than what I think is the final chapter). I can post more often if you all don't mind. I just don't want there to be a big delay if I don't get it posted before I go, and have to wait another 10 days to post the rest. So...what say you all? More frequent posting and finish it, or keep to the every 3-4 days and post the end when I get back?**

 **At any rate...on we go! This one is a bit shorter - but again, it's where it fit.**

 _ **H50 H50**_

 **Chapter 12**

Grace must have been watching out the window, because the minute Steve pulled the Silverado into Danny's drive, she was out the door like a shot. "Uncle Steve!"

She ran towards him and jumped, instinctively knowing that he would catch her, no matter what.

Steve couldn't help but grin as he caught his niece and spun her around. "Hey there, Gracie. How are you doing? You feeling okay?"

He set her down and bent at the waist, needing to look into her eyes in order to reassure himself that she was all right and whole and perfect.

Her answering grin allowed him to start to breathe again – something he hadn't been able to do for quite a few days. He hoped that once Danny was released, they could all figure out how to put this behind them and get back to their lives.

"I'm glad you came over tonight, Uncle Steve. Auntie Kono said that you need to get some sleep, but I thought you should eat first. I made you a salad – it has all kinds of fruit in it, and we got one of those cooked chickens at the store, so I added chicken, too. I hope you like it."

Steve choked up for a second – Grace had made dinner for him? It was hard to wrap his head around, which was a testament to just how tired he truly was. "I'm sure I'll love it, Gracie." He draped his arm over her shoulder as they walked into the house.

"Hey, Boss." Kono was sitting on the couch leafing through a magazine, but set it down and stood as he came into the living room.

He wrapped her up in a brief hug before looking around the room. He shook his head at the sheer size of the blanket fort that had been created in Danny's living room.

"We fixed it for you, Uncle Steve. After you eat, you can take a shower, and then we have a movie to watch. We can make popcorn, too. Auntie Kono got some of those peppermint patties that you and Danno pretend not to like – they're the mini ones. And then, whenever you're tired, you can just fall asleep. You don't have to worry about taking care of anyone tonight…I'll keep an eye on you, okay?"

Steve's eyes watered slightly at how much thought she had put into what he needed. "That sounds perfect, kiddo. That sounds just perfect."

After a quick dinner and four-minute shower, Steve found himself propped up on some pillows, lying next to Grace. She was having fun watching the movie, and while Steve thought the plot implausible, he appreciated the thought that Grace went into while picking it out.

After rubbing his eyes for the umpteenth time, he shut them against the grittiness that he felt underneath his eyelids, only planning on a few moments reprieve. Grace, however, had a different idea as she sat up and moved next to Steve's head. She and Kono had talked about this while Steve was in the shower, and she knew what she needed to do next.

Lightly, she started scratching her fingers through his hair, smiling as he eventually relaxed further into sleep. From her vantage point in the chair, Kono could see what was happening and gave Grace a thumbs up. Knowing that Steve was in good hands, Kono grabbed her phone and snapped a quick picture before heading for the guest room to change for bed.

 **H50 H50**

Danny was wiped out. He wasn't expecting a peaceful night, however – frankly, he assumed that the nightmares would be making their presence known in a couple of hours, like normal. But he hoped without the burning pain in his chest, to be able to actually sleep until that point in the evening.

Cody had brought him his prazosin along with a dose of pain medication. He didn't make a big deal out of it, which Danny appreciated. Chin had already stretched out and was dozing on the window seat.

"Thanks, man. For everything. You've busted your ass to get me out of here, and well, I really appreciate it." Danny settled more comfortably against the pillows, ready to turn out the light for the night.

"It is my pleasure, Danny. I'm just glad you quit being so damned stubborn and finally turned the corner." Cody shook his hand before dimming the lights. "Try to rest if you can. I know you're a little worried about how the night will go, but try not to. I'll be in and out all night – if it looks like you're going to jump awake, I'll try to get to you before that happens."

Danny nodded, hoping he had some time before that happened. Shutting his eyes, he felt his energy leave him on the exhale, and before long, he was in a relatively restful sleep.

 **H50 H50**

Steve whistled to himself as he walked down the hallway leading to the ICU. Getting some sleep had done wonders for his mood, which admittedly had been stressed out. Kono would be bringing Grace once she was up, dressed, and had eaten breakfast. Steve knew that he was early, but didn't care.

He stayed quiet as he walked into Danny's room – he didn't want to wake him if he was still sleeping. He was a little surprised to see the room empty, though. Danny wasn't supposed to be moved to the floor until later that morning, but perhaps they had moved him early? It wasn't surprising, especially if they needed the ICU bed.

He moved back out towards the nurses' station where he found Cody comforting Haile – it was clear that something had happened that had rattled the nursing staff. He didn't want to intrude, and simply stood back and waited for one of them to notice that he was there.

It took a few moments before Cody and Haile noticed him standing there, and immediately, Haile's hand clapped over her mouth, stifling a sob.

Cody motioned for Steve to follow him, and sparing a glance at Haile once more, Steve did just that.

"Is everything okay? Is there anything I can do?" Steve had grown fond of the nursing staff taking care of Danny, and wanted to do something to help if he could.

Cody blew out a deep breath and shook his head. There was nothing that Steve could do to make this any better.

"Well let me know if you need anything, okay? Now. Where's Danny? Did he move to the floor already?" Steve sat down in one of the chairs lining the wall of the small family room and waited while Cody did the same.

Cody glanced back to see Haile in the doorway and Dr. Kuwada coming down the hall, and knowing that he had reinforcements, he took a breath. "Steve, Danny's gone."

Steve gave Cody an expression that screamed, _no shit_ , but held his tongue. "Um. I know. I saw that when I went into his room. You guys must have needed the space to move him so early, huh?"

Cody shook his head. "No…Steve. That's not what… _damn it…_ "

Abby chose that moment to join the two nurses in the family room. She could tell by Cody's expression that things weren't going well, and knew she needed to step up and make sure that Steve understood. "Steve…there were some complications earlier this morning. Danny must have turned wrong in his sleep, and one of his ribs completely broke and became free-floating. That floating rib caused a tear in his aorta, and he bled out within seconds. I'm so sorry, Steve, but he's gone."

Steve was not thinking rationally as her words echoed around inside of his head to the point where a white-hot rage took over. "No! Where were you, Cody? I trusted you to take care of him! You promised you'd keep an eye on him!"

Steve stood roughly, the chair tipping over behind him as Cody dropped his head into his hands. "I want to see him. Please, Doc. I need to see him."

Dr. Kuwada locked eyes with Haile for a moment before turning back towards Steve. They all knew just how bad Danny looked after the solid hour of attempted lifesaving measures, and there was no way Steve needed to see that for himself. "Steve, I can't let you see him. I'm sorry."

Steve whirled on the older doctor, clearly unhappy with her answer. "Doc, that's not fair. No? Not even for a minute? No!"

Grace jumped awake, unsure of what brought her out of a sound sleep. It only took a moment to realize that Uncle Steve was having a really bad dream. He kept flinching and calling out, 'no' with some other things mumbled that she couldn't figure out.

Danno had always told her about not waking up Uncle Steve when he had dreams like this. It wasn't that he would hurt her, but sometimes he might think that she was someone in his dream and might accidentally lash out at her.

She tried calling his name a couple of times, and on the third try, he awoke with a shout. She stayed where she was, and kept talking to him, hoping he would recognize her voice and awaken completely. "Uncle Steve? It's Grace. You're okay, I promise. You're just having a bad dream. Please wake up."

Eventually her soft voice broke through the fog inside his head and he turned to face her, fully aware of just where he was. "I'm sorry, Gracie. God, I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to wake you up." He wiped at the errant tears trickling down his cheeks, embarrassed at his outburst.

Grace shook her head and carefully climbed over to where he was sitting up against the couch, his knees pulled up. She kneeled up and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight, intuitively knowing what Steve needed to bring him back to the here and now. "It's okay, Uncle Steve."

She felt his arms wrap tightly around her back as he let himself feel that small amount of comfort. Grace was a smart girl – she had a feeling she knew what the nightmare was about based on how upset he looked. She felt the same way when she had nightmares about losing her dad.

Once Steve had settled a little, and the trembling had slowed, she sat back and reached for her phone.

He watched her with wary eyes, unsure of who she might be calling. He really didn't want to talk to anyone, but didn't have the heart to tell her to stop.

She set her phone down and reached for one of the water bottles that Kono had placed outside of the blanket fort before she headed for bed. Grace handed it to Steve and moved the top blanket away from the frame above their heads. She wondered if he didn't like feeling closed in after a nightmare – she knew that she didn't.

Before long, her phone vibrated indicating an incoming message. Tapping the code to unlock the screen, she smiled as she read Chin's reply. ' _Your dad is really sleeping. Having a good night. Tell Steve to call me in a couple of minutes.'_ His reply came with a picture that Grace couldn't help but giggle at. Her dad was sound asleep with his mouth wide open, looking as comfortable as Grace had seen in a while.

"Uncle Chin said to call him in a few minutes. He can tell you how Danno is doing." Grace had a knowing smile on her face.

Grace kept herself busy for a few moments by folding up the blankets, giving Steve some privacy to regroup. She debated on waking Kono, but knew that there wasn't much she could do for Steve right now either…he just needed reassurance and time.

As she saw Steve pick up his phone, she quietly crept down the hall to use the restroom. She wanted to give him some space to talk to Uncle Chin.

Steve watched her walk down the hall and was more grateful than he could ever explain to her. She had figured out what he needed and stepped up, taking care of him like nobody had done in a while. How did he get so lucky?

Blinking a few times to clear his eyes, he scrolled through his contacts and hit the number for Chin's phone. It only rang a couple of times before he picked up.

"Hey, brah. Danny's fine, I promise. He's soundly asleep, and has been that way for going on four hours now." Chin knew that Steve didn't need small talk – he needed to reassure himself that his brother was okay.

Steve blew out a frustrated breath, embarrassed that he was reacting like this. "Fuck…"

Chin could tell that Steve was rattled and tried to pull him further from his nightmare. "Bad dream?"

Steve was quiet for a while, trying to regain his composure. "Yeah…felt so real, too." He saw Grace come back into the living room and lowered his voice. "Just promise me, Chin…"

Chin cut him off. "Steve, I swear. He's fine. He's sleeping, and hasn't had any issues whatsoever. Doc has been in a couple of times to check on him, and Cody only has Danny tonight, so he's been keeping a close eye out. I even took a couple of pictures – hang on and I'll send them."

It didn't take long before Steve had the picture on his phone – the picture of Danny sleeping, a picture of the monitor displaying very stable vital signs, and a picture of Dr. Kuwada holding a paper that said, ' _I promise he's fine. Get some rest_.'

Steve smiled as he put the phone back up to his ear. "Thanks, Chin. I appreciate you talking me off of the ledge on this one."

Chin's voice was smiling as he replied, "No problem, man. Get some rest and we'll see you later this morning. Doc says the plan is to move him to the floor somewhere around 9:00."

Steve nodded and thanked Chin once again before hanging up his call. Turning to where Grace was waiting by the couch, he held out his arms; loving the feeling of her launching herself into his hug. "Gracie, thank you so much. You figured out just what I needed and made sure I was okay. That means so much, sweetheart."

Grace just grinned. "I love you, Uncle Steve. I don't like when you're sad or scared – and it sounded like you were both during your dream. I'm glad you're feeling better."

Steve nodded and sank back against the cushions of the couch and stifling a yawn. "I am, but I'm not sure I'm quite ready to fall asleep. What do you say we find something on the TV to watch until we get tired enough?" He really would have loved to been outside on his beach, where the sounds of the crashing waves could soothe him like nothing else did.

Grace grabbed the remote and settled next to Steve. "I have an ocean movie on Netflix we can watch. It'll feel like we're under the water and everything!"

The two settled onto the couch, letting the underwater ocean scene wash over them; the soothing view of tropical fish swimming lazily around them, and eventually, they both dozed off. Grace was tucked up against Steve's side, where he had wrapped one arm around her shoulders. Steve had had the foresight to pull a throw blanket over Grace before he fell asleep.

That was how Kono found them the next morning, when she made her way into the kitchen to start the coffee. She snapped another picture, knowing that Danny would want to see that one as well.

 **H50 H50**

9:00 came and both Steve and Grace were anxiously waiting for Danny to move. Dr. Kuwada had allowed them both into his room, since he was being discharged from the ICU anyway.

Danny was a little surprised that he slept slightly better the night before. He wasn't completely nightmare free, but Cody held to his word and woke him up before he could sink too deep. But in and around the dream, Danny had actually gotten some rest, which had gone a long way to helping him feel more human.

Steve was subdued though, more so than normal, and Danny made a note to try to get him to talk about whatever had him so freaked out. He _would_ ask Grace, but knew how protective she was of her uncle. He wasn't sure if she'd spill or not.

Ryan had stopped by, but decided to work with him later, once he had been settled into his new room. He thought after working with him, Danny might like a trip to the gardens, even if he had to go by wheelchair.

Finally, when all three were just about as anxious as they could get, the orderly knocked on the door. "Mr. Williams? I'm Manoit. I'm here to take you to your new room."

Haile followed him into the room, carrying the leftover frozen ice cups from their freezer. "You can keep them on the regular floor if you want. We'll replace the labels once they get you officially admitted to show Dr. Reese as your physician."

She placed the cups into a plastic patient care bag before giving them to Grace to hold. "Okay, Danny. Let's get you into the chair and get this show on the road. I know you're ready to put this chapter behind you."

Danny sighed. "You guys have all been great, but yeah…I'm ready to not see you for a while." He looked a little sheepish. "No offense."

They all laughed as Danny turned red. It was just the mood lifter they all needed as they started this next chapter of Danny's journey home.

 **H50 H50**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thank you so much for all of the great feedback on this story. I've gotten quite a few anonymous reviews that I truly wish I could reply to. If things stay the way the muse has intended, I should be able to finish up this story before I head out of town. That's probably a good thing...which will make more sense later on.**

 **H50 H50**

 **Chapter 13**

Danny spent most of the morning just relaxing in his new room. It may have been the luck of the draw, or maybe Abby had some pull, but Danny was eternally grateful to see that his room had a large window overlooking the garden. He was more than done with the feeling of the walls closing in while he was in the ICU.

Even though he had been moved up to the third floor, some of the foliage was tall enough to see from his vantage, and the blue sky gave him a chance to exhale as he caught sight of the wide-open space.

Grace was tucked up against his side, dozing quietly. Danny was loathe to move her, as he knew she hadn't rested any better than he had.

Steve was sitting next to Danny's bed, and the two were chatting quietly, neither one wanting to disturb Grace. "How's your pain now? Is it still dialed down with the catheter in place?"

Danny nodded. "It's hard to explain, but yeah – whoever invented this technology should be given a medal."

Steve grinned, but there were still remnants of shadows behind his eyes. Danny knew that he wouldn't volunteer any information, so he decided to just bite the bullet.

"So…want to tell me what's going on inside your head right about now? And don't try to tell me 'nothing' – I know you, Steve. You have a multitude of faces that I have seen over the course of our friendship, and while this looks a little like 'In-Pain' face, I know you're not physically injured. So my guess is there's something that you've gotten stirred up inside your noggin, and the proverbial dust is settling, and you're overthinking something fierce. How close am I?"

Steve didn't take the bait, though, which worried Danny even more. "Hey…Steve. Seriously. You okay?"

Steve blew out a heavy sigh before finally making eye contact. "Nightmare – I couldn't get myself out of it."

He glanced over at Grace with a fond look on his face. "Your daughter, Danny…God, she was…I mean…she just stepped up and tried to take care of me. That sounds strange, I know…but…"

Danny smiled softly, knowing what Steve meant. Grace lived to make sure her loved ones were never in need of anything – it was one of the many amazing attributes that Grace displayed on a daily basis.

Steve's eyes turned glassy as he continued. "She knew I was freaked and made sure not to come too close. Fuck, Danny – if I would have lashed out at her – I never would have forgiven myself."

"I knew you wouldn't hurt me, Uncle Steve. I knew it with all my heart." Grace had woken up at some point during their conversation and was watching the two men.

Danny squeezed her close, while Steve leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, dropping his head like the weight of the world was pressing it down.

"I just don't ever want to hurt you, Gracie. You mean too much to me." Steve's voice caught and he shrugged one shoulder as Grace carefully climbed down from Danny's side and rushed to give Steve a hug. As the scent of her shampoo washed over him, Steve felt marginally better as he allowed himself to relax. She had that effect on him, to say the least.

Without a worry, she shifted so that she was leaning up against his leg with her arm still wrapped around his waist, her head resting against his collarbone.

Steve continued his story. "She texted Chin, and had me call him to make sure you were doing okay. Chin even sent pictures. But it felt so real, Danny. I'm so glad it wasn't."

Danny understood Steve's fear…he'd felt like that on a few occasions himself. "Me too, man."

Steve was curious as to whether Danny's new medication had done any good. "All told, how was your night?" He kept things generic, knowing that Grace would worry about her dad if she thought anything was wrong.

"I had one little bump, but Cody was right there. All in all, it wasn't too bad, and I was able to get some halfway decent sleep for a change. It did wonders, to say the least."

Steve looked genuinely relieved. "That's great, man. It's about time, huh?"

Danny nodded. He still wasn't convinced that the medication would completely work, but after being so sleep deprived, the small amount of rest that he _had_ gotten went a long way to helping him feel just a bit more normal.

Grace's smile was impish as she tapped Steve on the arm. "Uncle Steve?"

Steve immediately turned his attention to his niece. "Yeah, Gracie?"

She grinned and shrugged her shoulder. "You said a bad word. You owe me a quarter."

Danny's laughter was loud as Steve turned beet red.

 **H50 H50**

"Who taught you to drive like this Grace? Uncle Steve? Is he responsible for your recklessness?" Danny was chuckling as his daughter attempted to steer him down the hallway. After bumping the second wall, Danny was actually grateful that Steve took over, but not before he dumped Grace gently onto her dad's lap.

Danny loved the feel of her tucked up underneath his chin. No matter what was going on, that position – for both of them – made everything right with the world. Grace was so trusting and confident in the fact that her Danno would do whatever he could to make her happy – and Danny reaffirmed right then and there that his daughter would not go another day without him telling her that he loved her.

He knew he was a lucky man – he had gotten bits and pieces of what had happened to him, and knew that he had come very close to losing everything that was important to him.

Steve finally got them steered safely out into the small courtyard, and they were all happy to see that it was free of any other guests. They had a few minutes to enjoy the fresh air before Ryan joined them.

"Hey, Danny. How are you feeling?" Ryan knelt down in front of the wheelchair and waited for Danny to fill him in.

Danny shrugged one shoulder. "All in all, not too bad. I got a few hours of semi-decent sleep last night. Had one rocky dream, but hopefully the new meds will help take care of the sleep issues. The epidural works pretty well – much less pain in my chest, which is a very, very good thing."

Ryan smiled and nodded his head. He had read the notes but wanted to hear from Danny himself. "How do you feel about trying to get a little walk in while you're down here? It's all flat, so I think you'll be okay with your slippers – they have a fairly sturdy sole." He was referring, of course, to the New York Jets house slippers that Grace had insisted they bring from home. Danny was very glad that she did, if it meant that he got to try to stretch his legs.

Danny nodded and winked at Grace. "Only if my trusty helper can come with me."

Ryan pretended to scrutinize Grace until she was practically vibrating with nervous energy. Finally, he let her off the hook. "Agreed. She looks helper-worthy. You'll be in great hands."

Steve just sat back on a bench and watched as Grace slid off of Danny's lap so that his best friend could push slowly to his feet. Ryan kept the wheelchair steady even though the brakes were engaged, while Grace carefully pulled on his arm and helped him stand up.

Steve grabbed his phone and snapped a shot of Grace, draping Danny's arm over her and making sure his hand was resting on her shoulder as she helped him walk along the path. Her arm rested carefully along his lower back as she wrapped her free arm around his waist. Steve knew that Danny would treasure this photo, as it captured the love that the two had for one another.

As the two walked, Ryan kept by their side, carrying the oxygen tank and giving Danny pointers here and there. "Don't hold your breath, Danny. Trust that the epidural will keep the sternal pain down, and while I'm sure your ribs are sore, they _are_ healing up. The more relaxed you are, and the more normally you walk, the less pull you'll have on your ribs."

He nodded as Danny managed to stand up a bit straighter as he made the turn back towards the wheelchair. Truth be told, Danny was winded. He was tired and due for more pain meds.

But feeling like he did, he still couldn't imagine that in three days time, he possibly could be released from the hospital. Everyone kept telling him to be patient – that he was doing really well. But it just wasn't as simple as everyone else made it seem.

"Danno?" Grace could tell that her dad was thinking really hard about something.

Danny stumbled slightly as he looked down at Grace, losing his focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Ryan caught his arm, and there really was no harm done other than to Danny's pride. "It's okay, Monkey. I'm just thinking about how happy I am to be spending time with you."

Grace seemed fine with his answer, but Ryan knew his thoughts were a million miles away. If he had to guess, he thought that maybe Danny might benefit from more responsibility for his recovery. Maybe he needed tasks to help keep his mind off of how much farther he had to go in his recovery?

Ryan helped him sit back down in the wheelchair, and waited while he caught his breath. Ryan checked his oxygen levels, and while they were low, they were acceptable for someone in Danny's situation following mild exercise.

Once Danny had gotten some color back in his cheeks, Ryan filled him in on his treatment plan. "Okay, Danny. Here's what I want you to do. We're looking at probably three more days as an inpatient, right?"

At Danny's nod, he continued. "I'm going to slowly step things up from a PT standpoint. Four times a day, I want you to do at least three laps around the floor. If you're on your own, just let your nurse or the CNA know. You can use the railing, and just take your time. If you have your trusty helper with you – or any other visitor for that matter; whenever you have company, I want you to utilize the outdoors – there are outdoor tables in the café, or you can come back down here to the garden. Take your guest with you and get out and get some fresh air. Too much time in your room is not good – we know that. Just let your nurse know where you're headed. You know your limits, Danny. But it's also okay to see how far those limits will stretch, within reason."

Danny took a breath and let it out slowly. "I guess…I just can't wrap my head around being ready to go home in a few days, feeling the way I've felt lately. I know that sounds stupid, but it's just…I'm a little afraid to let myself believe it." He trailed off, unable to put into words just how mixed up he felt.

Ryan noticed that Steve had taken Grace to the other side of the small courtyard, ostensibly to give Ryan and Danny time to talk. The two men grinned as Steve swung her upside down and was carrying her around by her ankles, swinging her back and forth and yet with precision focus. They were sure that the patients on the first and second floor could hear her laughter.

Ryan turned his attention back to Danny, who had gone silent again. "Danny, I get it. I really do. Right now, you can't imagine feeling well enough to be discharged. And I understand that. But you also have to remember just how far you've come in only a short time. The body is an amazing thing. From here on out, I would expect that you will make progress relatively quickly. They're keeping the pain under control, which is key to recovery. If you can continue to get some rest, it'll also go a long way to changing your mindset. You're young, and you're healthy. Your body will rebound from this…just you wait."

Danny picked at his thumbnail, taking it all in. He heard what Ryan was telling him, but was having a hard time really and truly believing it.

Ryan squeezed his forearm in support. He _did_ understand what Danny was going through – he saw it more often than not with his patients. But he also knew that once recovery started happening, outlooks were dramatically changed for the better.

He stood up and moved behind the wheelchair. "Hey. Who's driving this big lug back to his room, huh?"

Grace giggled as she skipped over. "I can try. I wasn't very good last time, though."

Steve was right behind her. "I think the malasadas are getting the best of Danno. What do you think, Gracie?"

She shook her head, loving the sweet treats herself. "No way, Uncle Steve! Malasadas are good."

Steve chuckled and took over for Grace, who couldn't even get enough momentum to get Danny started, much to the chagrin of the detective, who just shook his head in self-deprecation.

Grace skipped alongside, leaning over to whisper in Danny's ear while they waited for the elevator. "I'll bring you some malasadas tomorrow when I come, okay?"

Danny placed a smacking kiss against her cheek. "Sounds good, Monkey. I'll try my best to eat one, but only if you help me with the rest of them."

The rest of the trip back to Danny's room was spent in relative comfort. Grace narrated just about everything they came across in her quest to try to bring her dad out of his shell. He was always so full of words – it was a little unnerving to her that he was so quiet. It was clear that emotionally, though, she was in a much better place now that Danny was recovering.

Steve was still worried about Danny though – he wasn't sure how much was just thinking, or whether it was a deep dive into the doubts and fears that lurked in the dark recesses of the mind. Steve was all too aware of those types of negative thoughts. He would keep a close eye on Danny – knowing that while he couldn't do the physical part of his recovery, he _could_ carry some of the mental burden should he need it.

 ** _H50 H50_**

Hawaii was in the middle of a fairly intense tropical storm. Thunder could be heard, even inside the hospital. Random visitors who got off of the elevators brushed water from their clothes, making it obvious that the rains had come as well.

Danny walked down the hallway, a little cautious on his own but taking his time. Each nurse he passed, though, had a smile on their face as they waved him on. Finally, when he got to the last room, the nursing assistant was just leaving and held the door open for him.

Stepping inside, he looked around, a little confused. None of this looked familiar to him, and yet he felt like belonged. The light in the room appeared to waver back and forth, which didn't make any sense. Maybe it was an electrical surge? At least he hoped it was. 'Weird', thought Danny. He wondered just what kind of side effect he was having, and which medication had caused it. He felt strangely detached from himself – fuzzy and uncertain; and his eyes were obviously playing tricks. He would have to talk to Abby when she came on shift.

"Danno? Where are you?" Grace's voice cut through the fog, and Danny found himself stepping back and shaking his head, trying to get rid of the fuzziness.

"I'm in here, Monkey." Danny turned towards the door, expecting that she had followed him into the room, but she wasn't there.

"No, Danno. I'm over here." Danny shook his head. 'Great.' Now he was hearing voices? Grace wasn't anywhere that he could see her.

"Danno." Grace was starting to whine, clearly finished with whatever game she thought her dad was playing. "Come over here."

Just then, a loud burst of lightning knocked out the power and plunged the room into darkness. When the emergency generators kicked in, Danny slowly let his eyes settle on the figure on the bed and nearly fell to the floor.

It was Grace, limbs frozen in a spastic dance, with no obvious end to the song. Her fingers were curled around a rolled washcloth in each hand, and her toes were pointed almost to the bed. She was flat on her back, her blank stare seemingly mocking him. Her feeding tube dripped a milky white liquid into the PEG in her stomach, while her trach tube gave a faint whistle as she took shallow breaths.

"Grace? Baby? Oh, God!" Danny forced himself to move closer, although he was deathly afraid that this was a nightmare he wouldn't wake up from.

"Do you see me, Danno? Do you see what I can do?" Grace's voice was loud in his ear, but her lips were not moving at all. He had no idea where her voice was coming from, despite his best attempts to find it.

Grace sounded sad. "You can't see me do anything, because I'm broken, right? I'm stuck like this, and I'll never get to do anything again. Why didn't you save me, Danno? I was right there…why didn't you get to me sooner."

Danny bent at the waist, the guilt squeezing the breath out of him. "No, Monkey. Uncle Steve and Aunt Kono saved you, remember? They got you out of the water?"

The Grace in his head sighed softly. "But why wasn't it you? Wasn't I worth it?"

Danny clapped his hand over his mouth. "No! You are worth it! Don't think that! Grace, no!"

Danny jackknifed up in his bed, gasping. "Grace, no!" Wildly, he looked around the room, distraught because nothing made sense.

Nearly ninety long seconds later, a light knock on the door frame gave Danny something else to focus on. "Danny? Everything okay?" Kaimi had heard the yell and came as quickly as she could. She was immediately concerned over his well-being, as he was pale, sweaty, and hadn't quite regulated his breathing just yet.

She approached him cautiously, worried that he still wasn't oriented. After a few more seconds of his gaze darting around the room, he finally met her eyes. "I'm okay."

Kaimi didn't buy that for a minute, but gave Danny the benefit of the doubt. She placed a portable pulse oximeter onto his finger and listened to the staccato beating of his heart. "See if you can't take a couple of slow breaths for me, Danny. I just want to listen to your lungs for a second."

She moved the bell of the stethoscope around until she was satisfied that his breathing had trended back down to within his current normal limits. "Everything sounds okay, Danny. Just keep trying to slow your breathing down. Do you think you hurt anything? You're due for your pain meds in about thirty minutes, but I can give you something for breakthrough pain now if you need it."

Danny shook his head no, anxious for her to just leave him alone. He was pissed and embarrassed, which was not a good combination for anyone currently standing in Danny's path, much less Danny himself. "I'll be okay."

Kaimi was all set to disagree with his assessment when her paging device clicked on, asking her to report to Room 37, stat. "I have to check on this, but if you need anything, use that call button, okay?"

Danny nodded, clutching his shaking hands into the sheets to avoid detection. "I will. Thanks."

Kaimi stared at him for a long few seconds before finally leaving the room to find out what was going on with one of her other patients.

Danny waited a few minutes, trying to get his breathing under control. When that didn't work, and the walls kept feeling like they were closing in, he knew what he had to do. One thought led the charge as he flung the covers off of his legs, pulled the oxygen tubing from his nose, and got shakily to his feet. _He had to get out of here._

He slowly made his way to the door and peeked out, accidentally knocking a stack of towels onto the floor. Whatever was going on in Room 37 had diverted the attention of quite a few staff members – he saw two rushing in with a code cart – which worked to his advantage as he slipped out the door and carefully walked to the stairwell.

He hadn't thought past needing to get out of his room, and knowing that going down would lead to too many people, he decided to head up the stairs. After about the first twenty steps, he was regretting his decision, but he couldn't quiet his thinking down enough to fully care.

His hands were tingling, and he was starting to feel as though he couldn't get enough air, but he had to keep going. Staying where he was would be worse, wouldn't it?

On wobbly legs, he fought off the black spots in his vision and slowly pulled himself up the six flights of stairs until finally, he found himself facing the door to the roof. He opened it quietly and took a peek, grateful that he couldn't immediately see anyone.

The cool nighttime air was just out of his reach, and so he ventured further out onto the roof, using ductwork and other electrical boxes to hold onto as he slowly crept towards the ledge.

 ** _H50 H50_**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Well...this is the end of this story. I am so appreciative of all of your reviews and kind comments, your follows, and your favorites. The muse took this journey on a few unexpected twists, but I think it ended up working well. There is a new doctor introduced in this chapter. His name and what he treats is real, but his background is made up.**

 **I have my usual request: If you've read but never reviewed, would you mind letting me know what you thought just this once? If you are a regular reviewer, would you mind one more for the road?**

 **I do have another idea in the works, but have no clue when it will get posted. I would like to have it finished before I start posting, so we'll see. Just know that there will be another story at some point in the near future.**

 **Mahalo!**

 **H50 H50**

 **Chapter 14**

Steve quietly entered Danny's room, in case the detective was sleeping. Looking around, however, he was surprised to see the bed empty. The bathroom door was open, so Steve knew he wasn't in there. Looking back at the bed, he started to get an uneasy feeling in his chest. This was too much like his nightmare for his taste. The sheets were thrown aside, as if Danny had left in a hurry, or _had_ to leave in a hurry due to a medical emergency.

Setting the food down on the rolling table, he avoided the pile of towels on the floor and poked his head outside. Kaimi was at the computer station, working on her charting. "Hey, Kaimi? Where's Danny? Did he have to go somewhere for testing?"

Kaimi looked at him like he had two heads. "What do you mean 'where's Danny'? He didn't have any tests scheduled. I got caught up in an emergency when one of my other patients started to crash, but he was in his room before I got called away." She got up and quickly went into Danny's room and saw the destruction he had left behind.

She tipped her head back as she remembered what had taken place before that. "Crap. He had a nightmare earlier. I heard him call out for his daughter, but when I checked on him, he assured me he was okay. Right after that, I got called to the other room. He must have left during the commotion."

She hurried to the unit secretary with Steve hot on her heels. "Hey Meg? I need you to call security, and ask them to check cameras to see if they can spot Danny Williams. He's not in his room and we need to find him."

Just then, Abby got off of the elevators and walked over to where Steve was standing. "Hey, Steve. How's our boy?"

He didn't even have time to answer as she caught his and Kaimi's expressions. "What happened?"

Steve took a deep breath. "I'm not completely sure. Kaimi said that he had been dozing, but had another nightmare. Danny being Danny, he told her he was fine. She was called to an emergency, and when I came back a couple of minutes ago, he was gone. His bedding was on the floor, and it looks like he knocked some towels over as he left. He's also without his oxygen…not sure what that will do to him, but the tubing was on his mattress. I was gone less than fifteen minutes, and Kaimi saw him about ten minutes ago."

Abby shook her head. "Shit. The prazosin helps at night, but I guess not so much with a nap, then. Okay. Regrouping…Any word from security yet?"

Kaimi turned to Meg, who was still on the phone with security. Meg held up one finger, imploring them to wait a moment, and finished her conversation. "They aren't sure, but they thought they had a glimpse of him on the roof camera. If it's him, he was barely in view of that camera angle – and nobody is really supposed to be up there right now anyway, so it's worth checking."

Steve nodded, immediately heading for the stairs. "I'll head on up and meet you there."

Abby nodded, knowing that if Danny was in a bad place, Steve would have the best shot at bringing him back around. "I'll grab a wheelchair and portable oxygen. Kaimi, can you page Dr. Reese for me? Just let him know what's going on and have him meet us back down here when he can." Abby hoped she wasn't overstepping her bounds, but she had been treating Danny longer and had grown to care for him.

Steve opened the stairwell door, prepared to run up all six flights if he had to. But before he could get going, he nearly ran over Dr. Teleia and Riley, who were on their way down.

"Steve? Is everything okay?" She moved to the side, but was glad he stopped for a moment.

"I'm not sure, Jane. They think Danny had a nightmare and bolted from his room. Security thought they saw him on the roof, but didn't have a good angle to know for sure. I don't know where his head is now, but the one thing I can think of that would completely freak him out if he dreamed about it is losing Grace." He scratched Riley's head as the Golden Retriever nudged his hand.

"Do you want me to come up? I don't know that there's much I can do, but Riley's always a calming influence when things are rough."

Steve nodded, but glanced up. "That sounds good. I'll meet you up there, okay?"

She waved him off, knowing by his look that he needed to get up there and check on Danny. As he pounded up the stairs, Dr. Teleia and Riley started up at a slower pace.

It took Steve all of about a minute and a half to cover the distance, and knowing how much an abrupt sound could make anxiety worse, he forced himself to slow down as he opened the door to the roof.

Stepping carefully through the door, he visually did a quick sweep of the area, unable to see Danny at all from that vantage point. He kept his footsteps silent as he started around the perimeter.

When he came around to the other side of the electrical tower, his heart nearly got stuck in his throat. Danny was leaning against the ledge, shaking like a scolded puppy.

Keeping his movements slow, he approached his best friend. "Danny? You okay, man?"

Danny didn't even move. His focus was miles away, and if Steve had to guess, it would be on whatever had happened to Grace in his nightmare.

Steve scrutinized Danny more closely, as he subtly moved himself between Danny and the ledge. One hand was gripping the concrete so hard his hand appeared locked in place. The other hand hung down, trembling like a leaf blowing in the wind. His t-shirt was drenched with sweat, and his face was pale. His breaths were very shallow, and Steve was afraid that he would pass out if he didn't get things slowed down.

Steve could see movement out of the corner of his eye – both Dr. Teleia and Dr. Kuwada had arrived at the same time. They kept their movements very small and nonthreatening; not wanting to spook Danny any more than he already was.

"Danny? Talk to me, buddy." Steve had seen soldiers in the grips of a nightmare, and right now, Danny very much reminded him of one of those men.

Dr. Teleia normally didn't treat adult patients, but knew that Riley could work sometimes like nothing else could, and hoped he could help unlock Danny's mind from its nightmare. She crouched down next to Riley and gave a soft command. "Riley. Slow. Go to Danny." She pointed, and Riley slowly walked to Danny's side and turned around, waiting for his next command.

"Sit." She waited until he had complied, before issuing one more command. "Riley, lean." She was hoping that the weight of Riley leaning against Danny's legs, combined with the feel of Riley's fur under his hand might get through to Danny. They wanted Danny to come out of whatever he was locked in on his own, rather than being yanked out by well-meaning adults.

Riley was not a dog who normally licked patients when he was working, but he had shown an uncanny ability to read people. In this case, he gently started licking the hand that was hanging by his side.

Steve, Abby, and Jane all stood as Riley continued until eventually, Danny's fingers twitched ever so slightly at the sensation. Riley kept at it until Danny eventually moved his hand to rest on top of the dog's head.

Blearily, he looked around, visibly surprised to realize where he was and that Steve was standing next to him. "Steve…?"

Steve placed his hand on Danny's shoulder, subtly moving him back from the ledge. "Hey D. It's good to have you back."

Danny heard footsteps and turned to see Abby moving towards him with a wheelchair. "Back? I don't…"

Danny was still a little fuzzy on the details, but Abby could see that the physical effects were still running through Danny's system. The shaking hadn't subsided, and she would feel much better once he was sitting down and she could take a look at him. "Why don't we get you sitting down and we'll see about figuring everything out."

She didn't really leave him much room to argue as she essentially manhandled him very carefully into the chair. "Just relax for a minute Danny. I'm just going to grab a set of vitals, and then we'll try to piece things together."

She was none too thrilled with Danny's pulse or his respiratory rate but knew that they would normalize once the emotional aftershocks had worn off. More concerning, at least for this minute, was his oxygen level. She knew that he had taxed himself by climbing the stairs, and hoped he wouldn't balk at putting the oxygen back on.

"Danny, I'm going to put your oxygen back on for a while. You're lower than I'm comfortable with, but this will help." She looped the tubing over his ears and turned on the portable tank, making sure the prongs were comfortable.

Satisfied that he was relatively stable, she leaned back against the wall. "I'm a big believer of just ripping the Band-Aid off and jumping right in, so to speak. What do you remember about all of this?"

Danny wiped at the sweat that was beading on his forehead. "I remember hanging out with Grace most of the day. After we met with Ryan in the garden, we came back to my room. Chin and Kono brought pizza, so they ate. I had a couple of bites. The cousins left to take Grace home, and I guess I dozed off."

Steve nodded at his account. "I figured I'd grab a protein shake and a few snacks that you might like from the cafeteria while you slept. I wasn't gone that long. Long enough, I guess."

Danny looked lost in thought for a few seconds before uttering, "Fuck." He suddenly remembered his dream and the fear and helplessness that went along with it.

Jane motioned for Riley to move closer to Danny's chair, seeing that he was starting to get anxious again. As the dog rested his chin along Danny's legs, she stood in front of him. "At the risk of making this too simple, it wasn't real. Keep reminding yourself that the dream wasn't real. It very well may have felt like it, but it absolutely didn't happen."

Danny absently scratched Riley behind his ears as he nodded. "I know it wasn't real, but damn – it sure felt like it. And if it ever came true, there is no way I could be okay with it."

Steve looked sympathetically down at his friend. He had a feeling he knew what – or who – the dream was about. "Grace?"

Danny closed his eyes and nodded. "Yeah. She was…I was walking down the hallway downstairs. I wasn't sure where I was going, but all of the nurses kept waving me on. I got to a room, finally, and went inside. When I got there…"

He paused to steady his voice. "I heard her calling for me, but I couldn't see her. For a long time, I couldn't find her. She was so upset – she really wanted me to figure out where she was."

Danny spent a few moments staring out into the darkness before shaking his head. "It was storming like crazy, and the power went off. When the lights came back on and I finally saw her…she was stiff as a board. She had a hole in her throat, and a tube in her stomach. Her hands were clenched, and her toes pointed down. Freaked the hell out of me seeing her like that. She asked if the reason I didn't save her was because she wasn't worth it. When I woke up, all I could think about was getting out of that room…the walls felt like they were closing in on me, and I just had to go. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

Steve caught Danny up in a hug, knowing how absolutely gutted Danny must feel. "It's okay, Danny. Grace is fine. It's all going to be okay."

Danny tried as hard as he could, but could not stop the tears from falling. And shortly after that, Steve just held on tighter as Danny's shoulders started shaking from the force of his sobs. Steve could feel the shoulder of his shirt quickly becoming damp, but understood that Danny needed to get it out. He also knew that Danny would probably feel guilty over this, but there was no way in hell Steve would let that happen.

Abby knew that Danny had stored up a lot of stress as he worried about not only his own health, but his daughter's as well. Being apart from her hadn't done either of them any favors, but his condition hadn't allowed anything different to happen. It was now that he was recovering that a lot of the emotions were being purged from his system, whether he liked it or not.

Danny pushed back from Steve and wiped at his eyes. Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head.

Abby stepped forward. "Danny?"

He shook his head. "Nauseous."

She gently squeezed the back of his neck, knowing that they needed to get him back down to his room. Catching Steve's eye, he held up one finger and motioned for her to wait just a second.

"Hey, Grace. How are you doing?" He listened on his phone for a few moments before smiling and nodding at whatever she was telling him. "That sounds perfect. I'm just sitting here with your dad, and I think he wants to tell you goodnight. Hang on, okay?" Her reply was exuberant, which made Steve grin.

Danny had to swallow a few times before gingerly sitting up and reaching his hand out for the phone. At Steve's inquisitive look, he nodded, took the phone, and cleared his throat. "Hey, Monkey."

"Danno! Uncle Chin brought his bike over and let me help him work on it a little bit. He had to change the plugs and he let me help. Don't worry – I had a shower after that 'cause I was a mess." Her giggle soothed him like nothing else could, and he closed his eyes and just soaked it in.

"Did you have fun?" Danny tried desperately to keep his voice even as he talked to his daughter.

"I did, Danno. I can't wait to help you like that, too. I think that would be really cool to do something like that together." Grace's voice was light, but there was just a tinge of sadness underneath that stemmed from her just missing having her dad around.

"Once I'm all cleared, we'll find a project to do together. Okay? Maybe you could use the computer or ask Chin and Kono help you find something that we could do?" Danny was flagging as the adrenaline finished dumping from his system and he knew he needed to get off the phone soon.

"I will, Danno. I love you. Try to get some good sleep tonight, and I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?" Grace sent a kiss through the phone that Danny wished was real.

"I'll try, Monkey. I love you, too. Sweet dreams and I'll see you in the morning." He deflated in the chair as he ended the call. Once he hung up, Danny threw the phone off of the top of the roof in frustration. Even the clattering of the plastic on the top of the air ducts wasn't even remotely satisfying.

All four adults stood in silence for a moment before Steve quipped, "You know that was my phone, don't you?"

Danny replied "Fuck you" with a nervous giggle, but it was enough to finally break the tension and allow Danny to relax a little as they got ready to head back to his room. Abby made sure the portable oxygen tank was secure on the wheelchair before Steve turned Danny around and followed Abby and Jane to the staff elevator, as it was the only one that went up to the roof.

It was a short ride back down to Danny's floor, where Dr. Teleia and Riley parted ways. "I'm going to get out of your hair, but if you need anything, you guys know where to find me. I know I'm not your physician, but I'm going to go out on a limb and ask you to think about talking to someone about this. I have a name for you, if you decide you're interested. His name is Dr. Ralston, and he deals specifically with anxiety and posttraumatic stress. He's from New York, and did quite a bit of work with veterans before switching to private practice. I've known him for years, and really respect his work. He's a no bullshit kind of doctor, which I think will work with your needs and your personality. I can get you his information, if you all feel that it's a direction you'd like to go. But my honest opinion, Danny, is that talking with someone will go a long way to resolving some of these stressful feelings. Think about it, okay?"

He nodded as she gave him a one-armed hug. Riley took his turn, resting his muzzle on Danny's lap, clearly enjoying the attention that followed. After Danny had scratched his fill, Riley grudgingly returned to Jane's side, and the two headed down the hallway to hit the stairs once more.

Dr. Reese was waiting at the charting station outside Danny's room. He and Abby worked quickly to get Danny settled; a full set of vitals, and an overdue dose of pain medication later, and he was finally resting quietly.

Steve was sitting next to his bed, trying to talk Danny down from his guilt-fueled conversation. "I just feel like a complete idiot. Running away like I did? Freaking everyone out? I know it was a nightmare – but I can't get over how real it felt, you know?"

Steve nodded. "I know. The dream I had where Grace stepped in and took care of me? I had come to visit you, and Abby had to tell me that you had some complications, and you were gone. So I get how something like that can feel real, even if your head tries to tell you that it's not."

Danny shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "I just…I want this over with. I'm tired of jumping at shadows, so to speak."

Steve leaned forward and clasped Danny's forearm. "I never thought I'd advocate for talking it out, but it probably was one of the best decisions I ever made. I hated it at first…bringing up some of the most painful experiences I've ever been through flat out sucked. But I don't want to even think about where I'd be without having Mark to bounce things off of. I promise you, Danny, one day soon, you will be able to look back at this as just a shitty event that happened."

Danny blew out a frustrated sigh. "I know. I hope so. I need to do this for me…and for Grace. She deserves to have me all in, you know?"

Steve squeezed Danny's arm. "You both do, Danny. You both do."

 ** _H50 H50_**

Danny clutched the steering wheel, trying desperately trying to calm his breathing. This, by far, had been the most grueling of his month-long sessions with Dr. Tyler Ralston yet. He had grown to appreciate the no nonsense demeanor of the counselor. He had that stereotypical "New York" brashness that rubbed some people the wrong way, but that Danny actually responded well to.

He had done his debriefing and breathing regimen before he left the office, but as he sat in the car, random flashes of the dream that he had just rehashed to death started poking at him again. He knew that this afternoon would likely leave him feeling drained. Dr. Ralston had done what he called "flooding", where he essentially made Danny remember as many of the bad memories as he could, one after the other, again and again. The premise behind that was to help him learn not to feel so overwhelmed and anxious over one particular thought or emotion. It had worked, as Danny was not able to focus all of his attention on just one feeling. The bad part of this particular therapy was that Danny had essentially relived the entire nightmare over and over again, leaving him exhausted and drained.

He and Dr. Ralston had taken time at the end of the session to work on the calming breathing techniques that he was finding successful. It wasn't unlike Grace's "belly breathing" that she had learned from Dr. Teleia.

He shut his eyes and had to take himself through the calming routine once again, eventually (and thankfully) driving the negative thoughts from his mind. In the nearly five weeks he had been out of the hospital, he had been forced to realize that the accident was in no way his fault, and the fact that he had developed complications that had kept him from his daughter was something completely out of his control, and he simply couldn't justify the guilty feelings that had followed. There was not one single rung on the ladder of every event that had happened that Danny could have changed himself.

Danny took his job as Grace's father very seriously, and any deviation from the quality of parenting he expected from himself was a tough pill to swallow. It was partly his history with Rachel that had led to some of these thoughts. From the time that their marriage had started to go south, she had never shied away from telling Danny when he screwed up somehow. She also knew that any criticism of his being Grace's father was a particularly sharp barb – and when the two were at their worst, she flung that one whenever it suited her best.

Dr. Ralston had reminded him that despite what Rachel would have had him believe in the past, it was most certainly not true right now. The two parents currently had an amicable relationship. Danny had primary custody of Grace. She was happy here, living among her ohana and her friends. Danny had a lot to do with that, and Dr. Ralston was pushing him to remember that.

Health wise, he had recovered from the pneumonia and broken ribs and sternum without any further complications. He had only needed the epidural for those last three days that he was in the hospital. Dr. Reese had stayed true to what Danny had been told – and after proving that he had suffered no ill effects from his trek up the stairs following his nightmare, Danny was released after three days.

The first week he was out of the hospital, Grace had cajoled him into staying with Uncle Steve. By that point, he would have done anything in his power to make her happy, and truth be told, he was in no hurry to be alone with his nightmarish thoughts. He knew his limitations, and the truth was, he still needed help from time to time.

He had lost weight while he was in the hospital – to the tune of almost ten pounds. That didn't sound like a lot, but when you were as muscular as Danny, that ten pounds took time to put back on. He had met with Ryan before discharge and had gotten a home regimen that he was able to work on since his discharge. He was slowly starting to see some progress, which went far in putting this whole event behind him.

He had been completely benched from work for that first week, as his energy level hadn't recovered quite like he wanted it to. Weeks two and three found him and Grace back at home, and him back at work on restricted duty, before finally progressing to light duty. Week four had found him excessively ill-tempered with everyone around him, who only wanted to help. Danny couldn't fault them – he just was tired of needing help of any kind. Every single one of them was hoping that he would be cleared for full duty after he met with his primary care physician next week.

Doing a quick mental scan, Danny was satisfied that the anxious moment had passed and that he could head over to Steve's to pick up Grace. His weekly appointments with Dr. Ralston were always on Saturday mornings – and Steve had been more than happy to keep an eye on her while Danny was otherwise occupied.

As his eyes opened, he took a deep breath and let it out, blowing the anxiety into the wind, so to speak. He started the car and made sure his seatbelt was buckled before pulling out into traffic.

His phone rang, and he used the hands-free bluetooth in his car to answer. "Hey, Monkey. What's up?"

He listened and felt his shoulders relax as the love from his daughter washed over him like a gentle wave. "I should be at Steve's in about fifteen minutes. I'll need time to change, but after that we can head for the beach. I won't be cleared to surf for a few more weeks, but Uncle Steve can get out in the water with you, while I cheer from the sand. Sound good?"

After another round of conversation on her end, Danny nodded his head. "I love you too, baby girl. Tell Kono and Chin and Steve to keep their pants on - I'll be there soon, okay? See you in a bit."

As he ended the call to the sounds of his daughter's laughter, Danny felt a sense of peace slowly trickle through him, warming him from the inside. He and Grace had been through an awful event, and Grace and the rest of the ohana had shown their patience in waiting for him while he clawed his way out. He smiled as one thing was certain. They would be okay.

 _fin_


End file.
